VISTAJET ORDERS $1.2 BILLION IN BOMBARDIER JETS, BUYS SKYJET
They liked it so much they bought the company. In the second-largest order ever placed with Bombardier, Swiss-based VistaJet is buying 35 high-end aircraft and also taking over Bombardier Skyjet International (formerly Flexjet), its charter operation with bases in Farnborough, Hong Kong and Dubai. VistaJet will buy 11 Challenger 605s, 13 Learjet 60 XRs and 11 Learjet 85s, and took options for 25 more aircraft. The deal triples VistaJet's fleet and makes it the second-largest non-U.S. bizjet company. "The bulk order and the purchase of Bombardier Skyjet International are in line with our plans to be the leader in this industry and accelerate our global expansion," said VistaJet Chairman Thomas Flohr. More...

EMBRAER NAMES ITS NEW BIZJETS, SETS PRICES
Embraer unveiled a mockup of its new midsize business jet and announced it was naming that aircraft the Legacy 500, and its mid-light stablemate the Legacy 450, at EBACE 2008 on Tuesday. Until now, the paper jets were called the MLJ and MSJ. The 500 seats up to 10 and has a range of up to 3,000 nm. The 450 seats up to eight and goes about 2,300 nm on a tank. Introductory pricing was announced, with the 450 starting at $15.25 million and the 500 at $18.4 million. Both will be fly-by-wire and both will be powered by Honeywell HTF7500E engines. More...

RUSSIAN AIR TAXI DEXTER BUYS 20 MUSTANGS
After two years of success with four Pilatus PC-12s, start-up Russian air taxi company Dexter predicts that it will be about 2011 before it needs to expand its horizons. So, CEO Eugene Andrachnikov timed his purchase of 20 Cessna Citation Mustangs to fit that growth prediction. "It will take the market about three or four years to mature," he told AVweb in a podcast interview at EBACE 2008 in Geneva. Andrachnikov claims Dexter is the only "real" air taxi company functioning in the world and that, in part, is due to the economic model. Dexter charges a flat rate of 130 rubles (about $5.50 USD) per kilometer for its PC-12s, regardless of occupancy (maximum of eight passengers) and it does not vary. "Russians don't like surprises," he quipped to a laughing media contingent at a Cessna news conference. More...

XOJET GETS $2.46 BILLION IN FUNDING
Despite a credit crunch that some companies have blamed for their inability to find necessary capital, XOJet CEO Paul Touw says money is available for the right idea in the right package. The San Carlos, Calif.-based company launched just two years ago and has negotiated financing agreements with five organizations worth a total of $2.46 billion to fund a major expansion to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Touw told AVweb that despite the enormous wealth and growth of the area, there's a shortage of private jets. "It's an open playing field," he said. Like pioneers in most fields, XOJet has to bring what it needs to the UAE and that's why it needs so much money. "We have to build our own service center," Touw said. More...

HAWKER BEECHCRAFT RACKS UP ORDERS
A day after unveiling the mockup of its next-generation composite business jet, the Premier II, Hawker Beechcraft announced it has taken 40 firm orders and has 30 more in the wings. The aircraft is an update of the Premier 1A, which was the first (and still the only) all-composite business jet in certified service. It has more power, longer range and a bigger payload than the current model. "Th customer response has been fantastic," said Brad Hatt, Hawker Beechcraft's president of commercial aircraft. First flight of the new model is expected next April and deliveries should happen in 2011. The company was also celebrating the sale of 10 of its top-of-the-line Hawker Beechcraft 4000 models, and options for five more, in a deal sealed on the ramp at EBACE 2008. More...

NBAA'S ED BOLEN ON THIS YEAR'S EBACE
(RECORDED LIVE AT EBACE 2008)
The huge diversity of attendees, the sheer numbers of participants, and the ramp full of expensive hardware are testament to the importance of EBACE in the business aviation world, according to NBAA President Ed Bolen. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with him in Geneva on Tuesday. More...

DEXTER'S RUSSIAN AIR TAXI MODEL LEADS THE WAY
(RECORDED LIVE AT EBACE 2008)
Although most air taxi operations in North America are still feeling their way in the new business, Moscow-based Dexter believes it's hit on a winning business model. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with CEO Eugene Andrachnikov about how to sell private aviation to people who really need it. More...

AVWEB INSIDER BLOG: EBACE NOTES, GRIPES AND ACCOLADES
Today on the AVweb Insider, our staff copes with jetlag, European electrical outlets, and the dawning realization that everyone (from big companies to small dealers) have actually made good on their ambitions to go global. More...

AVWEB'S NEWSTIPS ADDRESS ...
Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. What have you heard? More...

MEET THE AVWEBBIZ TEAM

AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the internet's aviation magazine and news service.

The AVwebBiz team is:

Publisher
Timothy Cole

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Features Editor
Kevin Lane-Cummings

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