GainJet continiues to develop its corporate airliner fleet

Wednesday 25th September 2013

VIP charter operator, GainJet Aviation, acquires a VIP Boeing 737-400 with 68 VIP Seats

VIP Charter Operator, GainJet Aviation S.A, has acquired a new corporate airliner to add to its expanding fleet. The VIP Boeing 737-400 with 68 VIP seats, registration SX-ATF was delivered on 22 September 2013 to GainJet's home-base of Athens where it will be added to the GainJet AOC. Once the paperwork is completed, it will be repositioned to Manchester Airport in the UK where it will be available for charter from 28 September 2013 and ready for its first client booking when an international football team will benefit from the new spacious and comfortable configuration.

GainJet purchased the B737-400 from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in October 2012 through Cabot Aviation. Immediately following the purchase, GainJet contracted KLM to undertake all the maintenance and completion work at their Norwich facility where it was completed in mid-September 2013. The aircraft has been refurbished into an executive airliner featuring a spacious cabin accommodating 68 passengers in plush leather, reclining, business class seats. The baggage hold can accommodate up to 5.7 tonnes of luggage and with its six hour flight range the aircraft is ideal for large groups of passengers. It is expected to be popular for corporate shuttles, Heads of State, sports teams, and rock bands, who need a medium range VIP aircraft. The exterior has also been repainted in the classic GainJet aircraft colours - blue and gold - by Air Livery Ltd.

SX-ATF is the third VIP Boeing 737 to have entered the GainJet fleet.  In 2010, GainJet acquired its first B737-300 with a 48 seat configuration, and a second one in 2012, with 60 seats, which both flew regularly indicating the demand in this field. GainJet President, Captain Ramsey Shaban, states, "our two B737-300s were popular aircraft and served our markets well, but they had a few limitations, specifically related to size.  We've noted an increase in demand from larger groups and with the increased length of the new B737-400 we can accommodate more passengers in a larger, spacious cabin which is complemented by greater baggage hold capacity. In addition the aircraft's recent refurbishment combined with its younger age means it is in pristine condition."

GainJet ventured into the executive airliner market in 2008, when it acquired a VIP Boeing 757-200 which features 62 VIP seats, and a bedroom with en-suite facilities. It has since focused expansion on wide-body aspect of operations, in terms of both service and equipment. "This is a unique part of the industry that can also be challenging, but with our broad range of experience as a VIP operator we continue to offer an extensive fleet ranging from private executive jets like the G450, G550, Challenger 604, and Global Express XRS to our VIP Boeing executive airliners" continues Captain Ramsey.  GainJet specializes in dealing with large groups of VIP passengers and focuses on ensuring that everything is meticulously prepared and delivered. "We found the right product for our market in our B757, and have done again in our new B737-400. We're very excited about this new acquisition and will continue to maintain our long standing strategy of providing an all-encompassing  fleet to service our client needs. We've purchased the VIP B737-400 with a specific mission in mind, to serve the large VIP group community in a stylish, comfortable and convenient aircraft."

GainJet has long term plans for its latest addition as a further set of phases will see the aircraft modified to expand its capabilities.  It is anticipated that 2014 will see the addition of auxiliary fuel tanks to increase the flight range of the aircraft to 8 hours.  Phase 3, which is also expected to move ahead in 2014, will realize plans for the addition of a bedroom and en-suite, while still accommodating 54 passengers in plush VIP seats. An onboard Wi-Fi broadband network and state-of-the-art IFE system will also be added. This upgrading will see the new aircraft further complementing GainJet's VIP B757 model.

GainJet continues to grow and has recently moved to new, coastal offices near the center of Athens to accommodate its increasing team of experts. There are also plans to continue to make fleet additions in response to market demand.  "We very much focus on playing to our strengths and one of these is that we have become very good at operating the large capacity VIP aircraft. So we are looking to acquire more executive airliners and continue to improve and grow in this direction," concludes Captain Ramsey.