Fractional ownership operator Flexjet has signed a purchase agreement with Embraer for a ‘flexible split’ of 64 Praetor and Phenom 300 jets, in a deal worth US$1.4 billion. This deal was included in the 2019 second quarter backlog, with deliveries starting in the fourth quarter of 2019. With this purchase agreement, Flexjet becomes Embraer's Praetor fleet launch customer.

“We are proud to introduce the Praetor jets to the fractional marketplace and make technologically advanced midsize and super-midsize aircraft available to Flexjet owners,” said Michael Silvestro, Flexjet CEO. “This order also represents the longstanding trust we have in Embraer and in their enhanced commitment to support the growth of our programmes and of our partnership with industry-leading business jets.”

Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano adds: “We are very grateful for Flexjet's renewed commitment to Embraer through this new agreement, which reflects the growth and the strength of our partnership over the past 16 years and symbolises our ongoing support for their journey ahead. Flexjet owners will appreciate and enjoy a truly elevated customer experience in industry-leading aircraft, including the recently certified Praetor jets, which are different by design and disruptive by choice.”

The partnership between Embraer and Flexjet dates back to 2003, when Flight Options, which merged with Flexjet in 2015, became the first fractional ownership programme to introduce the Legacy executive jet into its fleet. Offering customers a large cabin experience at super-midsize economics allowed Flight Options to serve more customers, while also supporting the company's growth via Embraer's high utilisation, reliable aircraft design.

Flight Options introduced the Phenom 300 into its fractional programme in 2010, receiving Embraer's 100th milestone Phenom 300 in 2012, the first year in which the aircraft became the best-selling light jet. For the seventh consecutive year, the Phenom 300 has been the most delivered light business jet, according to GAMA. Also according to GAMA data, the Phenom 300 was the only business jet to reach the mark of 500 deliveries in the last decade.

Flexjet became the first fractional provider to offer the Legacy 500, in September 2015. In fact, Flexjet took delivery of Embraer's 1,000th executive jet, a Legacy 500, in April 2016. The Legacy 450 joined the Legacy 500 in Flexjet's Red Label fleet in August of that year, and both models became the first fly-by-wire Flexjet aircraft, offering performance and capabilities of larger aircraft with midsize economics.

The Praetor 500 and the Praetor 600 have both received FAA, EASA and ANAC certifications less than one year after they were first announced at NBAA-BACE 2018. The Praetor 500 surpassed certification goals, achieving an intercontinental range of 3,340 nm with four passengers and NBAA IFR Reserves. The Praetor 500 is capable of true North America corner-to-corner, nonstop flights, such as Miami to Seattle or Los Angeles to New York, while its sibling the Praetor 600 is capable of nonstop flights from Paris to New York or São Paulo to Miami. With four passengers and NBAA IFR Reserves, the Praetor 600 has intercontinental range of 4,018 nm.

The Praetor jets' cabins feature a six-foot-tall, flat-floor cabin, stone flooring and a vacuum service lavatory. The aircraft include turbulence reduction technology and a very quiet cabin. High-capacity, ultra high-speed connectivity is available through Viasat's Ka-band, with speeds of up to 16Mbps and video streaming capability.