Flexjet has accepted delivery of the first Praetor 600 aircraft in its European-based fleet. The company is the only shared-ownership/fractional provider of the Praetor 600, part of a US$1.4 billion order for Embraer Executive Jets that was announced in October 2019.

European managing director Marine Eugène leads the team headquartered at Flexjet House in the Mayfair neighbourhood of London’s West End. In addition, Flexjet has opened facilities including a European tactical control centre in the UK to coordinate flight logistics and an aircraft maintenance facility in Milan.

“Flexjet has taken the time to lay the groundwork to properly serve those entering the shared aircraft ownership market in Europe,” says Eugène. “Now that we have the infrastructure in place, we are growing our fleet with the addition of our new Praetor 600 aircraft. This will form part of our Red Label by Flexjet offering, bringing to European-based travellers a unique combination of innovative technology, luxury and premium service. 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.”

Currently, only 110 shared-ownership aircraft are providing more than 800,000 flight hours per year in Europe. In contrast, there are nearly 700 private aircraft supporting 1.2 million flight hours annually in the US. With its growing presence in Europe, Flexjet intends to meet the needs of a European market, offering the personalised levels of service, consistency and attention to detail for which it says it is known.

The Praetor 600 will be part of the premium Red Label by Flexjet programme, which features flight crews assigned to a specific aircraft, custom cabin interiors and what is said to be the youngest fleet in the industry, as well as innovations established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having a young fleet is just one of the ways that Flexjet aims to meet the industry-wide commitment to achieving its sustainability goals by 2050. To meet that target, Flexjet has implemented a standard sustainability offering that it believes goes far beyond carbon-neutral. All owners' flights will be fully emissions-neutral, compensating for carbon dioxide emissions and also other non-carbon dioxide warming pollutants in aviation such as water vapour, aerosol sulphate and nitrous oxides. This comprehensive programme requires offsetting an additional 300 per cent on top of standard CO2 emissions.

As the fleet launch customer for the Praetor 600, Flexjet will add it to its existing European-based fleet of Embraer Legacy 500s and 600s. Announced by Embraer in 2018, the super-midsize Praetor 600 seats nine passengers plus a cabin server and offers class-leading capabilities that make it ideal for business and leisure use. Its short-field performance enables it to fly into small airports, including London City, which reduces transit time to businesses in city centres and to remote vacation locations.

In addition, the Praetor 600 is equipped with high speed satellite wi-fi connectivity and a touchscreen upper tech panel that puts flight information and cabin controls at the passenger's fingertips. In the cockpit, the Praetor 600 is the first super-midsize jet with full fly-by-wire technology, which powers the active turbulence reduction that makes every flight smooth and efficient. One of the distinctive features of the Praetor 600 is the enlarged winglets, roughly six feet high, which contribute to the aircraft's fuel efficiency.

The aircraft air quality management system is comprehensive, with the ability to move 100 per cent fresh air through the cabin and an additional HEPA filter that further improves air quality by filtering out 99.97 per cent of all particles including bacteria, viruses and fungi. The Praetor 600 also has a cabin altitude of 5,800 feet when the aircraft is cruising at 45,000 feet. This pressure level, combined with higher humidity levels, means travellers will feel less fatigued and more active during the flight and better refreshed on arrival.

“With private jet service recovering much faster than commercial aviation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's clear that travellers want to minimise their risk of exposure to the coronavirus, and private jets are a lower-risk way to fly in the COVID-19 era. That makes this the perfect time to bring both the versatile Praetor 600 and the Red Label experience to the European market,” says Flexjet CEO Michael Silvestro. “With Marine Eugène at the helm, we look forward to the continued growth and evolution of our European offering.”

Michael Amalfitano, Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO, adds: “Flexjet is the fleet launch customer for the Praetor aircraft, continuing a two decade-long partnership with Embraer. We are pleased that Flexjet is introducing the world's most technologically advanced super midsized aircraft, the Praetor 600, to the European shared ownership market and has the capabilities to thoroughly disrupt the business aviation market.”

Flexjet says it was the first private jet provider to decontaminate its cabins with antimicrobial treatments (MicroShield 360 in US-based aircraft and Bacoban on EU-based aircraft). Each Flexjet cabin is equipped with MedAire's Universal Precaution Kit containing tools to help protect passengers and crew from possible exposure. Every Flexjet pilot or crew member wears masks and receives a mandatory temperature check pre-tour and a second while on duty. In addition, each crew member remains in compliance with WHO-recommended guidelines for social distancing both on the ground and in the air.