VLJs set to make impact in Europe

Barcelona would be a great place for a VLJ assembly line, according to said José Mariano López, managing director, Barcelona Aeronautics & Space Association (BAIE) welcoming some 80-plus delegates to the second annual European VLJ Conference last week.
“Very Light Jets will make it easier for time pressed executives to be at the right place at the right moment, He also hinted that the next generation (ideally, all composite) VLJs would do well to be built in Spain – with Barcelona being a ‘magnet for worldwide (engineering) talent,” he said. “VLJ production is largely concentrated in the USA – why not have a VLJ assembly line in Europe, a market that is going to be extremely significant for VLJ operations.”
Despite a general upbeat mood and attendance by several new VLJ operators the conference opened with the acknowledgement that Dayjet, the US pioneer in per-seat, on-demand air travel, had just ceased operations in Florida. There was better news from Europe with Dublin-based Jetbird announcing it had successfully raised $14.2 million in launch capital through the sale of a 9.3 percent stake to a Middle Eastern investor, enabling it to launch Embraer Phenom 100 services next spring.
Last week’s conference, organized by London and Dubai-based MIU Events, heard that VLJ flights are growing significantly in Europe – from just below 50 in September 2007 to 250 in March 2008. According to Ed Smith, Senior VP at General Aviation Manufacturer’s Association (GAMA) over 200 pilots have been trained to date on VLJ models and their average age is 47.
There was considerable debate on how these VLJs can be successfully integrated into the European ATM roadmap. However, in the US VLJ operators are pioneering introduction of NextGen technology in an FAA program in Florida.
Mikolaj Ratajczyk from the European Commission explained that the EU has established a dedicated policy on general and business aviation with the object of incorporating this sector into the overall air transport framework, a policy that takes into account the specific characteristics of this new aircraft. He elaborated on how as part of the Single European Skies ATM Research (SESAR) project, project leaders, the European Commission, Eurocontrol and private companies, aim to increase the safety factor by 10, triple capacity, reduce ATM costs ten fold and realise a 10 percent reduction in emissions per flight.
Alex Hendririks, Deputy Director ATM Strategies at Eurocontrol highlighted the agency’s involvement on the SESAR package which will enable these high-performance aircraft to be accommodated in day-to-day air traffic. “I am a strong believer in the VLJ market,” said Hendriks. “Big airports are increasingly becoming shopping malls that invariably take you somewhere that is not your chosen destination. VLJs will deliver you, point to point, without hassle.” He estimates VLJs are going to account for 300 more movements a day from 2008 to 2015, many of them flown by pilot owners - they fly at high attitude, but at lower speed and this is the issue that is causing problems with ATC, he noted.
Another controversial issue raised was on TCAS (specifically TCAS 11 recommended for VLJs). How could it potentially impact on safety if VLJ aircraft do not have it and, in the wrong hands, the wrong reaction to TCAS can be even more dangerous, delegates heard.

Working closely with the OEMs is absolutely critical, according to William Minkoff, president of JetQuik, who also cautioned that not all those models in production or on the drawing board right now may make it to market. His company, part of CFM group, had a leaning toward the Adam 700 before determining its Phenom 100 order and now that Adam Aircraft has been rescued, he noted, he would expect to see Adam VLJs flying alongside the Phenoms at the company in the future.
He also highlighted that if a VLJ manufacturer moved into Europe they would do very well. Aircraft delivery to European customers is a key issue, said LEA Managing Director Patrick Margetson-Rushmore who spoke from personal experience about ensuring that training slots on the simulators are booked way in advance. The customer in Europe is responsible to get his new aircraft home - from the USA, Brazil – don’t underestimate the training requirements he warned. Now bedded in, LEA’s pilots like to fly their entry level jet – the Cessna Mustang, he noted and they have found their ‘sweet spot’ in the LEA fleet on journeys of 40 to 90 minutes.
Acquiring a large fleet of VLJ aircraft will definitely keep costs down said Matthijs de Haan, managing director of ETIRC, parent company of Eclipse Aviation. “The devil is in the detail and there are no proven concepts so far – how do we know today how Bikkair, Blink, TaxiJet and others will do?” He fielded questions from the floor about ETRIC’s recent decision to build the Eclipse 500 in Russia. “Absolutely Russia is a big market for VLJs, but so too are high economic growth countries like India, Indonesia and China.”
From an airport’s perspective Steve Jones, managing director of Oxford Airport in the UK pointed out that VLJ operators want the same service and amenities as big airports – but the investment required by the airport won’t necessarily match their business models. There is also a question of priority at the big business airports – if a Gulfstream 550 turns up for fuelling at the same time as the VLJ, who do you think is going to get served first? It would be good to see the likes of TAG Aviation, which caters primarily for heavy iron jets, here at this event, one delegate noted. Robert Appleton, Business Aviation and Airport Consulting at Europraxis highlighted there are a potential 260 European airports suitable for VLJ use, currently limited by lack of customs and VFR facilities. Appleton also commented on how VLJ operators will also be looking at other airport characteristics such as terminals, fuelling, ground transportation and handling. Upgrade of a private licensed GA airfield with only private VLJ runway capability makes for potentially the most expensive scenario for upgrade to commercial VLJ operations. He cited, for example, the 5 million Euros it would take to upgrade Igualada in Catalunya.
The need for VLJ operators to be ‘realistic’ summed up the two-day meeting. It also stressed the need to communicate with the OEMs and check regulations when introducing new jets; plus the need to determine maintenance and engine support programs, which would alleviate lender worries. It was noted during a lively Q & A debate that the financial sector was notably absent in Barcelona. Agreeing the market was in its infancy, delegates noted they would like to see banks and financiers represented at the next gathering.
The importance of determining customer requirements well in advance such as cabin connectivity and where to have a lavatory is also fundamental, said Joe Leader, president of European Air Taxi Association, which now has 15 members.
The success of the market will be determined not just by price point, but also availability. Not just availability of VLJ aircraft, but of pilots, airports welcoming them and access to the jets once they are in service. Two messages came through in Barcelona loud and clear - don’t sell VLJ service too cheaply and be realistic about what can be achieved.