A little more than two months after receiving a $150 million credit facility from investment firm KKR, Jet Edge International has announced that it is adding a mix of new and used jets to its fleetâ16 Bombardier Challenger 300/350s and 11 Gulfstream G450sâthrough transactions valued at $200 million. The Van Nuys, California-based aircraft charter, management, and brokerage company said the aircraft, acquired with the help of the KKR funds, will be part of the fleet that supports its AdvantEdge hybrid ownership program, which was announced in June.
Jet Edge CEO Bill Papariella said the fleet additions come in response to record growth in the first half of 2021 and demand for the companyâs AdvantagEdge program. âMid-2020, our senior teams saw availability as a gating item post-vaccine rollout and knew we had to get ahead of the curve via our new AdvantEdge program, which sold out within 90 days of announcing the new product,â he said. âAs many private jet travelers face waitlists, halted fractional sales, and phased-out aircraft product offerings, Jet Edge is providing access to these state-of-the-art Challenger and Gulfstream models before year-end.â
Acquired through the open market, the additional jets bring the number of aircraft in JetEdgeâs AdvantEdge fleet to 74. They are less than 10 years old on average and will receive new paint, interiors, and improved cabin technology such as Gogo 4G wireless streaming, Bluetooth-controlled sound systems, and updated USB charging ports. Deliveries began in July and are expected to conclude by December 15, according to Jet Edge.