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On the opening day of the European Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd signed fleet sales contracts with a first group of customers planning to operate their PC-24s in typical segments of the target market for which the new Pilatus jet has been designed. Sales went ahead on the basis of binding contracts and non-refundable deposits.
Oscar J. Schwenk, chairman of the board of directors of Pilatus and Markus Bucher, CEO, signed contracts for the sale of PC-24 fleets with five well-known operators:
- Falcon Aviation Services, United Arab Emirates: 2 PC-24s
- Jetfly, Luxembourg: 4 PC-24s
- PlaneSense, USA: 6 PC-24s
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (Western Operations): 3 PC-24s, incl. option for 1 additional aircraft
- U-Haul International, USA: 2 PC-24s
Oscar J. Schwenk is delighted: “It’s fantastic to be able to sign the first sales contracts for our new aircraft with such well-known operators. Our first customers plan to use their PC-24s for a broad and varied spectrum of mission profiles; with its unique characteristics, we believe our aircraft offers the ideal solution in each case. Missions will include commercial flights, medical flights, private business flights and fractional ownership arrangements. I would like to express my very sincere thanks to our customers for their confidence in our company and in the PC-24.”
Markus Bucher adds: “In terms of operations, our first fleet customers cover a wide spectrum of different use. In terms of location, too, we will see our PC-24 flying in many areas of the world right from the start of deliveries. We attach the highest priority to customer service, and look forward to this very valuable early opportunity to acquire a deeper understanding of PC-24 operations in very varied, and sometimes extreme, conditions. Specifically composed teams will do everything possible to ensure that the first PC-24s are ready to operate smoothly from 2017. PC-12 owners consistently rate our customer service ‘excellent’ in consumer surveys: our goal is to meet and even exceed the understandably high expectations of our PC-24 customers.”
Stan Kuliavas, vice president, sales & business development, Pilatus Centre Canada said: “The opening of the order book is yet another step forward in the on-track PC-24 program. It is an aircraft that is well-suited for North American operations, and we are very excited that there will be several Canadian PC-24 operators in the near future. Canada continues to be an integral part of current, and future, Pilatus activity.”
Grahame Marshall, CEO of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS Western Operations), eagerly looks forward to the PC-24 joining the fleet: “When transporting patients requiring emergency medical care, time is always of the essence. With the vast distances we service across Western Australia, covering some 2.5 million square kilometres, the challenge for us has been how to combine a turboprop’s strengths like its dependability and its ability to operate from short and unimproved surfaces, with a jet’s speed – and that is exactly what the PC-24 will now deliver. The other great benefit the PC-24 will bring is enhanced accessibility for our stretcher patients and staff because of its huge aft cargo door. There has been a close ongoing co-operation between RFDS and Pilatus in the definition phase of the PC-24, and we are now very excited to take the next step and become a Launch Customer for the new Super Versatile Jet.”
President and CEO of PlaneSense, Inc., George Antoniadis, said its fractional ownership program is pleased to be a PC-24 launch customer.
“We have been in close cooperation with Pilatus for nearly 20 years, and immensely value our long standing friendship, as evidenced by taking delivery of 50 Pilatus PC-12s since our inception,” Antoniadis said. “We are delighted to be a PC-24 launch customer because we are confident that this Pilatus jet, with its large cabin, exceptional performance, and trademark large cargo door, will further enhance our service offering and augment our marketplace reach. In addition to the initial launch order, we anticipate acquiring many more uniquely capable PC-24s in the future.”
CEO of Jetfly, Cédric Lescop, said: “We are very proud to support the launch of the Pilatus PC-24. Jetfly believes that this jet will shake up the entry level business aviation market segments by filling a gap, because it combines the comfort of a large cabin, the price of a small jet and the landing performance of the best turboprops. The PC-24 will be a perfect complement to our existing fleet and will further improve our service.”
