Atlas Air Service has expanded its fleet with the addition of two new Citations, a CJ1 and a CJ2. The company chose the aircraft because “they are cheap to operate, reliable and perform well,” according to md Michael Laux.

“We did not consider any others because CJs are definitely the best in their class. They are suited to our operations because they can use shorter runways and are less expensive to run,” he said.

The aircraft, which are on a management contract, will be operated for charter services out of Bremen Airport and will fly across Germany, Russia and the rest of Europe. They are each expected to log about 450 hours per year.

The seating configuration in the CJ1 seats two pilots and five people; in the CJ2 it seats two pilots and six passengers. Extra features on the aircraft include refreshment centres and a flush toilet. “The customer reaction so far has been excellent; they love it,” Laux stated.

The company plans to update its fleet further. Atlas has just sold its Citation Excel and plans to add an XLS aircraft to the fleet over the coming months.

According to Laux, charter business is continuing to grow and the expansion of its customers all over Europe is creating new business opportunities.