A senior Nextant Aerospace executive told AIN yesterday that the company likely will launch a third aircraft remanufacturing program later this year, possibly at the annual NBAA Convention in November. Company vice president Jay Heublein provided few details other than to hint that the target aircraft would likely be larger than the company’s $5.15 million 400XTi, a remanufactured Beechjet 400A/Hawker 400XP.

Heublein would say only that the company has feasibility studies under way on “four or five” aircraft and is “narrowing the process and getting closer” to making a decision. He did say that larger business jets provide better margins than light jets and therefore make it easier to recapture non-recurring engineering costs over the sale of fewer aircraft. The critical mass for a heavy jet program would be a model with at least 250 to 300 aircraft already in service to justify the program investment required, Heublein noted.

He said the company considers the 400XTi and the company’s G90XT, based on the King Air C90, “entry-level products” and that it will continue to focus on cabin-class business aircraft.