Luxaviation UK welcomes Challenger 605 and Boeing MD-87 to fleet

Luxaviation UK has announced the arrival of a newly refurbished Bombardier Challenger 605 to its managed fleet.

The Challenger 605 (G-CMEB) will be based in Istanbul and is available now for charter. The aircraft has just had an extensive refurbishment of its interior and exterior. The colour of the aircraft was originally red and black, but has now been changed to dark grey and silver. The interior has also received a refresh and now features onboard wi-fi.

Challenger 605

George Galanopoulos, Luxaviation UK’s chief executive officer and head of charter sales, Europe, for the Luxaviation Group, says: “This summer has been a turning point for us at Luxaviation UK after the last 18 months. We’ve seen passengers being able to travel again thanks to the Covid-19 vaccination programme and the traffic light system - we have seen a 40% turnover increase this summer over August 2019 for charter. We put this down to our customers embracing the health and safety benefits of business aviation, new entrants to the charter market, and existing customers who previously used a combination of business and commercial aviation when traveling, choosing now only to fly privately.

“To keep up with the demand for charter, we began searching for new aircraft to join our fleet. This Challenger 605 is a long-range aircraft with a wide cabin, perfect for those who are looking to travel with extended families or for business. It will be used on our popular routes such as around the Middle East, Croatia, India and further into South East Asia. To ensure the aircraft aligns with our other aircraft in our inventory, we had the RAS team at London Biggin Hill Airport perform an interior and exterior refurbishment, which has been done to an exceptional standard.”

The Challenger 605 is suitable for up to 12 passengers, is capable of flying 4,000 nautical miles (7,400km), non-stop for eight and a half hours with a maximum speed of 0.82 Mach. The aircraft is a large-cabin business jet and has the widest cabin in its category.

Boeing MD-87

Luxaviation UK is also welcoming a Boeing MD-87 to its fleet which will be under its Aruban register for private operations only, making it the first airliner to join the Luxaviation Group fleet. The executive-configured airliner can seat up to 30 people and has a range of 4,800 nautical miles.

see also: Luxaviation launches commercial operations in Malta

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 7th October 2021 | Issue #624