Flexjet added the first Embraer Praetor 600 jet to its European fleet, the fractional ownership provider announced on Monday. The nine-passenger super-midsize model was ordered as part of a $1.4 billion order placed with the Brazilian manufacturer in October 2019.
Flexjet is the fleet launch customer for the Praetor 600 and the aircraft has joined its existing Europe-based fleet of Embraer Legacy 500s and 600s. The new model is being offered as part of the operator’s Red Label program, which provides customized cabin interior and flight crew assigned to each specific aircraft.
According to Flexjet, "The penetration of fractional and fleet operators in the U.S. is much higher than in Europe, so Flexjet sees a potential for growth in the shared ownership segment in Europe as quite substantial."
The Praetor 600 offers a range of more than 4,000 miles, allowing Flexjet to offer intercontinental flights, such as Paris to New York and London to Dubai. Its short-field performance means that it can operate at Europe’s smaller airports, such as London City.
“Our objective is to give owners the ability to travel not just in North America, but throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East without leaving the safety and security of the Flexjet family,“ said Flexjet’s European managing director Marine Eugène.
In 2019, Flexjet opened its European headquarters in London. It also has a European Tactical Control Center in the UK to coordinate flight logistics and an aircraft maintenance facility at Milan Linate Airport in Italy.
As part of its efforts to guard against Covid-19 infection, Flexjet decontaminates all its European aircraft with the Bacoban treatment (and uses MicroShield 360 in the U.S. market). Each cabin is equipped with MedAire’s Universal Precaution Kit, containing equipment to protect passengers and crew from exposure to the virus.
Masks are mandatory for flight crew, and they are also required to take a temperature check before each mission and a second while on duty. Crewmembers follow World Health Organization guidelines for social distancing at all times.
Flexjet says it has achieved an environmental sustainability goal that exceeds carbon-neutrality by purchasing carbon offsets amounting to an additional 300 percent more than the standard CO2 emissions associated with its flights. The company also claims to have the youngest fleet in its sector.
In June, Flexjet said the Covid-19 pandemic had forced it to delay the announcement of a significant expansion of its European operation. The company’s European affiliate, which holds an air operator certificate via UK-based subsidiary Flairjet and holds a controlling interest in aircraft charter and management firm Sirio in Milan, currently has 15 aircraft—mostly Nextant 400XTis and a few Embraer Legacy 500s and 600s—in its fleet.
A company spokesman told AIN that Flexjet intends to take further deliveries from the $1.4 billion order placed last year, which includes a mix of Praetor 500 and 600 models, and also some Phenom 300 light jets. It intends to make the Praetor 600 the flagship of its European fleet.