DC Aviation will expand its Airbus Corporate Jet fleet to four as it simultaneously builds its already sizeable all-round fleet. The Stuttgart operator, the first confirmed selected partner for Lufthansa Private Jet, will become the largest operator of ACJs in the German business aviation market, according to ceo Dieter Heinen.

"Our goal is to become the largest premium operator of private jets in Europe. With the purchase of the first Airbus 319 CJ, We are giving the green light for further corporate jets on this scale", Heinen adds.

The company's first Airbus 319 CJ was previously in operation for the Daimler corporation but is now being offered exclusively by DC Aviation for executive charter market. Three more Airbus of type 319 CJ fitted to take up to 22 vips will be added to the fleet over the next 12 months and will most likely be operated in Europe and the Middle East.

Heinen says: "Apart from comfortable business seating for 48 passengers and generous seat pitch of 152 cm, the ACJ excels especially when it comes to long haul flights with its maximum cruising range of up to 4,320 n.m. Four additional tanks make it possible for the Execuliner to fly nonstop in 9 hours, for instance from London to Chicago or from Munich to Bangalore."

He adds: "Our many years of transatlantic operational experience with the A319 CJ and the great demand for this type of aircraft, is the key reason for our further expansion in this market."

But Heinen says the expansion of the fleet is not restricted to the A319. "We are building up our capacities from the Learjet to the Airbus. In 2008 alone we expect a total of 12 new additions of the types G550, G450, G150, Challenger 850, Legacy 600, Citation XLS and Learjet 40." Stefan Buschle, md, says: "With our extremely young modern fleet structure and our unique concept for service and safety, we are winning new partners all over the world."

DC Aviation, a member of the Cirrus Group, was formed by the merger of Cirrus Aviation and the former DaimlerChrysler Aviation. The company is concentrating on aircraft management, charter and maintenance of business jets.

It employs more than 380 and its fleet includes the A319 CJ, two Global 550s, two Global Express, a Global 5000, a Falcon 900 DX, two Challenger 604s, five Legacy 600s, a Challenger 300, a Gulfstream 150, a Citation X, five Citation XLS, two Learjet 60s and four Learjet 40s.

Detailed fleet expansion plans include upgrading the DC Aviation fleet of Citation XLS to seven with the immediate addition of two more aircraft. Marc Ambrosius, cfo, says: "This will make DC Aviation the largest operator of the Citation XLS in Europe." The company's plans to operates more than 30 modern private jets of various sizes with an average age that is less than 2.5 years are well on the way to fruition.

"We place great value on our young dynamic fleet structure, which is maintained by experienced experts in our own state of the art maintenance facility. Thanks to the two new additions we will be able to offer our customers one of the safest and most modern fleets in Europe", asserts director of sales and marketing Jonas Kraft.

He says businessmen particularly appreciate the advantages of the XLS including its non-stop cruising range of 1,944 n.m, and maximum speed of almost 800 km/h.