Charter Operator Has Ordered 40 Of The Remanufactured Jets

Nextant Aerospace delivered the first of 40 new 400XT aircraft to Flight Options, LLC, on Monday. The delivery took place during a hand-over ceremony at the 64th NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention. “Today’s business jet customer demands value, performance and comfort, and we believe the 400XT delivers all three in a package well suited for both the fractional and jet card program market,” said Kenneth C. Ricci, chief executive officer of Nextant Aerospace.

“The 400XT took the best of the Hawker 400 – a strong airframe, comfortable cabin and good speed – and married it with modern engine technology and avionics to deliver a plane that’s more fuel efficient, faster and even more comfortable than the original,” added Michael J. Silvestro, chief executive officer of Flight Options. “Nextant has delivered the equivalent of a new jet at approximately half the cost of competing models, a combination that we believe will resonate with our owners and members.”

The inaugural delivery follows last week’s certification of the 400XT by the Federal Aviation Administration after a three-year development and flight testing process. Flight Options originally placed a $150 million order for 40 Nextant aircraft in October 2010. Nextant anticipates delivering an additional two 400XTs to Flight Options in 2011 and eight in 2012. Deliveries under the Flight Options order are scheduled to occur through 2015.

“We believe demand for the 400XT is sustainable, given the appeal of this aircraft to a wide range of buyers, not just fractional fleets,” added Ricci. “We are ramping up capacity to meet our delivery schedule and are excited about the future of this amazing aircraft.”

The 400XT process employs a remanufactured airframe from the Beechjet 400A/XP aircraft, enhanced with new, state-of-the-art technology including the Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan engine, the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21™ integrated avionics suite, advanced electronics and completely rebuilt interiors. The remanufacturing process takes all life-limited components to zero-time status, either through replacement or complete overhaul, which effectively makes the 400XT a new plane in all material aspects even before the addition of advanced technology. The 400XT is considered to be a new type in Aircraft Bluebook. Further options include additional avionics features and cabin entertainment including high speed wireless Internet.

The resulting aircraft supports a range of 2,005-nautical miles with four passengers and NBAA IFR Reserves, a 50 percent increase over the 400XP. Other performance improvements include a cruising speed of 460 nautical miles per hour; fuel efficiency improvements of 25-30 percent, depending on the length of the flight segment and noise compliance that exceeds Stage IV requirements.

FMI: www.nextantaerospace.com, www.flightoptions.com