Flexjet is on target to add 22 aircraft to its mid and super mid-sized fleet by the end of 2023, continuing a five-year trend of growth in this category. This year, it added the Embraer Praetor 600 to its North American fleet, after two years of successful operations in Europe and seven years of operating the Praetor 500 and its predecessor, the Legacy 450. Flexjet has also incorporated the Bombardier Challenger 3500 in its super mid-sized private jet offering.

“Together with the existing Embraer Praetor 500 and Challenger 350 aircraft flying in our fleet, the addition of the Praetor 600 and the Challenger 3500 has given Flexjet the industry’s leading offering of mid and super mid-sized aircraft,” says EVP of sales DJ Hanlon. “The aircraft available to travellers within this offering present mission versatility that is unmatched by any other private aviation provider.”

As far back as 2016, Flexjet selected the Praetor 500 and its predecessor the Legacy 450 as fitting additions to its fleet. A nationwide tour to introduce this aircraft to the market in 2016 confirmed its confidence in the aircraft and, as the fractional launch customer for the two models, Flexjet has seven years of maintenance and operation experience to help inform future evolutions of the product. Since 2020, however, the Praetor 600 has been the backbone of its European fleet, and its introduction to the US fleet reflects its success in Europe.

“Our ability to fly our aircraft owners on these in-demand aircraft today, and not at some distant time in the future, is further validation of our forward-looking approach,” adds Hanlon. “We take pride in foreseeing where the desires of the market will be well into the future to ensure we are always offering the leading experience in global private jet travel.”

This year, Flexjet plans to bring its global fleet size to more than 270 fixed wing aircraft: a mix of Phenom 300, Praetor 500 and 600, Challenger 350 and 3500, and Gulfstream G450 and G650 types. By the end of 2023, it will have more than doubled its fleet compared to 2018.

It also plans to hire 388 additional flight crew members and 338 aircraft maintenance technicians in 2023.