Story ID: 
Fractional Operators Eye International Expansion
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: NetJets looking to Latin America and evaluating fleet needs, Flight Options begins adding Gulfstreams and Wheels Up considers ride-sharing.
Word Count: 259
NetJets, which already has operations in the U.S., China and Europe, is considering further expansion into markets such as South America, Canada and Mexico, according to Chuck Suma, senior v-p of global asset management. The move is in response to customers' increasingly far-reaching travel needs, Suma told attendees at last week’s NATA 2015 Aviation Business Conference in Washington, D.C. The changing demand is also reshapinging the fleet dynamic, he said. At one time the fleet composition could be described as a pyramid, with light aircraft forming the base. Now the super-midsize category is poised to dominate. The shift is prompting NetJets to re-evaluate its long-range fleet, Suma said, adding the company might decide on new requirements shortly.

Megan Wolf, vice president of owner experience for Flight Options, who also spoke at last week’s conference, agreed that more customers are travelling farther and to more places. This was the driver behind Flexjet’s order for Gulfstream aircraft. Wolf noted that delivery of Flexjet's first G450 on order is imminent.

Wheels Up COO David Kaufman, meanwhile, said his company is happy in the small-aircraft space, noting that Wheels Up now has 41 King Airs and Citations in its fleet. More than one-third of Wheels Up’s 1,400 members come from the “commercial world” with no private aviation background, he said. The company is looking for new ways to draw people into private aviation, such as a potential ride-sharing program. Wheels Up sees significant potential in ride-sharing but must work through regulatory obstacles, Kaufman said.