Company Says Interest Is High In Its Business Jet

Pilatus has already handed over 30 PC-24s since the first customer delivery in February 2018, and the PC-24 fleet leader, serial number 101 belonging to PlaneSense, has already flown over 1,100 hours in its first 15 months of operation. The PC-24 fleet as a whole has clocked up over 5,000 hours of safe airborne time – an impressive result for the newly launched business jet by Pilatus.

Of those 30 PC-24s that are currently in operation around the world,three are being used as medevac aircraft for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. Pilatus plans on delivering about 40 PC-24s in 2019, and on stepping up production to 50 aircraft the following year.

"Demand for the PC-24 is phenomenal. From day one, there has been keen interest from various customer segments all over the world," said Oscar J. Schwenk, Chairman of Pilatus. "Feedback from the first 30 PC-24 operators is extremely positive, with special mention for the aircraft’s versatility, its spacious, quiet cabin and the incredible performance of the PC-24. These remarks plus the high degree of attention which the aircraft commands all confirm our chosen PC-24 strategy.”

EASA and the FAA have already certified the PC-24 for use on unpaved runways. Work to obtain post-certification for other surfaces, including grass, is currently underway. The PC-24 has also been certified for steep approaches as required for the approach into London City Airport.

The very first PC-24 of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS Central Operations) with serial number 118 arrived in Australia on 29 April 2019. A few days later, the first landings on unpaved strips went ahead in Kingoonya, a small and almost totally abandoned farming settlement in the central outback of the Australian state of South Australia.

In 2014, Pilatus sold 84 PC-24s in the space of one and a half days. The order book was subsequently closed until receipt of feedback from the first PC-24 operators.

Pilatus and its Authorized Pilatus Centers are now taking orders for the PC-24 again, with delivery positions programmed for late 2020 and 2021. The base price of the PC-24 is $10.7 million.

(Image provided with Pilatus news release)

FMI: www.pilatus.com