Turkish company EA Aerospace is making its first moves towards establishing an air taxi network across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, provided by a fleet of Eclipse jets.

"I have held the view for many years now that the Eclipse is the perfect aircraft for the air taxi market," says Ekim Alptekin, president and Eclipse shareholder. Despite the collapse of Eclipse Aviation in 2008, an event that halted his plans to launch air taxi company Myjet Aviation, Alptekin is determined to make the Eclipse a serious player.

"We had orders for 120 Eclipse 500s but only one was delivered before the manufacturer went bankrupt," explains Alptekin. "Although I lost a lot of money, I never lost faith in the product. I decided to become a shareholder and board member in the new company so I could help bring the product back to market and establish a global support network for the aircraft."

Initial concept flights for the air taxi service are taking place with Alptekin's Eclipse 500 and a Total Eclipse, an upgraded version of the 500. Production is now under way for the Eclipse 550, based on the 500 with modifications such as enhanced microprocessors in the avionics systems, auto throttles and synthetic vision, with delivery expected toward the end of this year.

"Two aircraft will be based in Ankara and three in Istanbul and will serve the markets in and around Turkey, where there is huge demand for affordable, flexible transportation – the Eclipse ticks all the boxes," says Alptekin.

Despite there being only around 25 Eclipse 500s in use around Europe, and the need to reinvigorate its reputation, Alptekin is optimistic about the likelihood of success: "We are going to finally prove the air taxi concept with the Eclipse."