Aeris Aviation, the independent European distributor and broker for the Eclipse Aerospace very light jet family, is preparing to launch an air-taxi service in May with a fleet of managed EA500s.
The company, branded Channel Jets, will be the only operator to offer the six-seat twin for charter on the continent – home to 20 privately-owned examples of the VLJ.
Channel Jets will be based in the Channel Islands and the EA500s will be registered on Guernsey’s 2-prefix aircraft registry. The British crown dependency launched the service in 2013 for privately-owned aircraft, but widened the offering in December last year to commercial operators.
“The Channel Islands are a perfect base for this service,” says Aeris founder and chief executive David Hayman.
He cites the area’s thriving community of businesses and high-net-worth individuals to illustrate his point. “There is a demand for high-speed, flexible and convenient travel from the Islands direct to key financial and business centres such as Geneva, Edinburgh, Dublin and Luxembourg,” he says. “We plan to fill a niche between the super-flexible first-class airline fare and a charter flight on an entry-level jet such as the Embraer Phenom 100 or Cessna Citation Mustang.”
Registering the Channel Jets fleet on the Guernsey register also has its advantages, Hayman continues. “Guernsey does not come under EASA’s jurisdiction, so we can operate our aircraft with a single-pilot. While this type of service is the norm in the USA, it is not allowed under EASA rules, which makes the cost of operation so much more expensive.”
Channel Jets will begin operations in the second quarter with two four-passenger EA500s. “We plan to have five aircraft in the fleet by the end of the year, including a couple of Beechcraft King Air 200s,” says Hayman. “The twin-engined turboprops not only have a bigger cabin [than the EA500], but they can also operate from short runways, which gives us even more flexibility,” he adds.
All the aircraft will be managed by Channel Jets under a dry lease arrangement with their owners.
Source: Flight International
