Flexjet has announced that it will add an Embraer Legacy 450 midsized program to its current new-aircraft collection.

“We are excited to announce this midsized aircraft program that will bring one of the world’s most innovative business jets to the fractional marketplace,” said Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci. “With the program being launched this month, Flexjet is offering a real-time solution to current and prospective Owners in need of a more spacious, more capable and more technologically advanced midsized aircraft.”

Flexjet’s midsized program will use the Legacy 450 as its principal aircraft. Flexjet is finalizing the development of the Flexjet-exclusive LXi artisan interiors for the Legacy 450, with deliveries of the aircraft beginning in 2016.

The Legacy 450 is an incomparable choice for owners of older aircraft such as the Cessna Citation Excel/XLS. In terms of size, the Legacy 450 will fit squarely in the center of Flexjet’s fleet: The niche between the super light Learjet 75LXi and the super midsized Challenger 350. Further increasing the aircraft’s appeal, it will be offered as part of Flexjet’s premium LXi Cabin Collection, with the finest luxury interiors.

Legacy 450 (library picture)

Flexjet Chief Executive Officer Michael Silvestro said, “We know that current and prospective Owners are seeking cabins that are larger and more luxurious than those typically found in this category, complemented by the newest technology and optimized performance. We are thrilled to bring the innovative Legacy midsized cabin solution to the market starting this month.”

The Legacy 450 includes features never before seen in midsized aircraft, such as marble floor entryways and a seven-layer sound wall that will make the cabin extremely quiet and lessen passenger fatigue. Flexjet designers have worked tirelessly on the development of exclusive artisan interiors for the Legacy 450 that will be unique to Flexjet, as they have with the entire LXi collection.

The Legacy 450 will have digital flight controls based on Fly-By-Wire technology and be powered by a pair of Honeywell HTF7500E engines, the most environmentally friendly in their class. With the ability to take off from airfields as short as 3,825 feet, the Legacy 450 can fly at altitudes as high as 45,000 feet and will have a range of approximately 2,600 nautical miles with four passengers, including NBAA IFR fuel reserves.

At six feet tall and six feet, 10 inches wide, the cabin of the Legacy 450 is the largest in its class and features a baggage capacity 20 percent larger than that of its closest competitor. The Flexjet edition of the Legacy 450 offers a best-in-class, flat-floor cabin and features seating for eight passengers. In addition, the fully reclining club seats may be converted into a lie-flat bed for complete rest, as needed.

The Embraer midsized aircraft will join Flexjet’s LXi Cabin Collection, which also includes the Learjet 75, the Challenger 350, the Global Express and Gulfstream’s G450, G500 and G650.

Flexjet also has announced that it is accelerating deliveries of the Gulfstream G450 business jet in response to heavy market demand for long-range international travel. This accelerated delivery schedule is part of an order placed for up to 50 new aircraft from Gulfstream’s iconic line of business jets which includes the G450, G500 and G650.

Taking the fractional private jet experience from extraordinary to incomparable with Red Label

In further news, Flexjet is launching Red Label, providing game-changing innovations never before seen in the fractional market.

Among the highly anticipated new features are flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft, artisan interiors and access to the world’s youngest fractional jet fleet.

The Red Label fleet includes the Learjet 75 (library picture)

“We are marking Flexjet’s 20th anniversary by launching Red Label, the future of fractional flying and a genuine innovation in our industry,” said Kenn Ricci. “We are pushing the bounds of the typical fractional offering to provide enhancements exclusive to Flexjet. Red Label will deliver a level of premium comfort and customization that fosters a private flying experience as personally rewarding and empowering as owning your own aircraft.”

Red Label takes Flexjet’s already extraordinary offering and customizes it to the expectations of the fractional ownership industry’s most sophisticated and discerning group of Owners, making it incomparable. To take Red Label from conception to reality, Ricci and his team put to use 35 years’ worth of knowledge and experience building some of the nation’s most successful private aviation companies. In 2013, Flexjet’s executive team began a two-year effort to develop their vision for the future of fractional by seeking to anticipate and fulfill Owners’ desires in every conceivable aspect of the flight experience.

The result is Red Label by Flexjet. Among the most pioneering features available only through Red Label are flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft. Red Label’s “One Flight Crew, One Aircraft” model, under which one crew is assigned to fly a single Flexjet aircraft, is a completely new take on aircraft crewing under the fractional model. “When one crew is assigned to fly a single Flexjet aircraft, a higher level of confidence and consistency is delivered,” added Ricci. “This is a model that has been used by the military for years. It instills a sense of pride and ownership in the aircraft and allows the pilot to become more intimately familiar with their aircraft. Red Label pilots will be exclusive to their very own Flexjet aircraft, akin to what both pilots and Owners experience when they own a whole aircraft.”

In addition, exclusive artisan aircraft interiors with smart cabin design elements will be offered and are unique to Red Label by Flexjet. These interiors feature hand-stitched leather and suede seating, a distinctively warm, welcoming color palette and customized seating configurations. For example, in the Learjet 75LXi, Flexjet has introduced unique interior enhancements such as a fold-down ottoman in the forward club and a smart six-passenger seating arrangement for added comfort – an example of the kinds of innovative interior touches available under Red Label through the LXi cabin collection.

“No one else is doing this - and we are years ahead of the rest of our industry with this innovation,” added Ricci. “Red Label puts an element of elegance and delight into fractional flying that has never existed before. It’s an entirely different experience, and it’s possible only because we are purchasing so many new aircraft that we have the scale and ability to customize them right as they come off the production line.”

The Red Label fleet includes the Learjet 75LXi, Challenger 350, Legacy 450 and Gulfstream G450, G500 and G650, each of which is less than five years old.

“Current and prospective Owners who have had a sneak peek at the first Red Label aircraft are impressed by their luxury and superior quality, many expressing that it will be hard to ever go back to a traditional business jet interior,” said Michael Silvestro. “The comfort and aesthetic touches of Red Label are truly one of a kind, and we are excited about bringing crews dedicated to a single aircraft to the fractional model, offering individuals who fly with us a deep sense of familiarity and confidence.”