Story ID: 
Pilatus Delivers First South American PC-24
By: Jerry Siebenmark
Caption: Monday's delivery also marked the 40th delivery of the Swiss airframer's first twinjet.
Word Count: 206
Pilatus Aircraft handed over its first PC-24 to a South American customer and marked its 40th delivery of the twinjet model at a ceremony yesterday at its Broomfield, Colorado facility. Ignacio del Rio will operate his new PC-24 from his base in Santiago, Chile, where he also keeps a PC-12 NG turboprop single. “We are very pleased that Ignacio is staying within the Pilatus family with both his PC-12 NG and now his new PC-24 jet,” said Thomas Bosshard, the president and CEO of U.S. subsidiary Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd.

Del Rio will use the PC-24 to support his agriculture and real estate businesses in Chile, Peru, and Colombia, allowing him to reduce trip times compared with those in his PC-12, Pilatus said. It also allows him to continue to use runways as short as 2,930 feet.

“The PC-24’s speed, range, cabin size, and ability to use short and unpaved runways make it the perfect aircraft for South America,” said Jose Eduardo Ippolito Brandao, CEO of Synerjet Corp., the authorized Pilatus dealer for South America. “We look forward to showing off the PC-24’s capabilities to many interested prospects and to delivering many more over the next several years.”