Planet Nine Private Air (“Planet 9”) adds third managed Gulfstream GV to charter fleet

Wednesday 26th August 2020

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Planet 9, the Van Nuys, California based private charter operator and aircraft management company, is pleased to add a fifth Gulfstream business jet to its Part 135 managed charter fleet.  

 

The Gulfstream GV (N779WA) is available for charter from this week, featuring a stunning, recently refurbished three-zone interior, with 12 soft cream leather executive seats and two lavatories.  The aircraft will be based at Naples Airport in South West Florida, a new operating base for Planet 9.

 

Planet 9 has added two more pilots to support the new aircraft.  It is also looking forward to working closely with Naples Aviation for aircraft handling, inflight catering and concierge.  

 

The ultra-long 6,500 nm-range iconic Gulfstream GV is suitable for up to 14 hours’ flying time.  Its spacious 1,812 cu ft cabin is flexibly designed for work, rest and relaxation.  The aircraft also features a well-equipped, sizeable rear galley and forward crew galley.

 

Inflight entertainment is via eight large Ipads, each loaded with a variety of movies.  Connectivity is accessible via Gogo/Swift Broadband.

 

“At a time when the commercial aviation industry is reeling from the effects of the global Coronavirus pandemic, the business aviation sector has really stepped up to offer both repatriation and special flights when the airline industry dramatically scaled back the number of scheduled flights. This has enabled us to get on to the radar of new flyers who hadn’t considered private charter before.  These last few months we have widened our customer base, adding a number of first time (and also younger clientele) choosing us for (primarily) domestic and USA to European flights,” said Matt Walter, Planet 9’s co-founder and Director of Business Development.

 

“This Gulfstream GV, with its high spec, comfortable interior, will be popular in the charter market and we are very pleased to be adding it to our AOC, and especially from a new Florida base, complementing our Van Nuys and Teterboro, NJ operations.”

 

Planet 9’s latest Gulfstream GV takes its managed and charter fleet to 11 aircraft.  The fleet includes two further sister Gulfstream GV aircraft, a Gulfstream G550, Gulfstream G650 and a Bombardier Global Express.  Planet 9 also operates (and owns) for charter four Dassault Falcon 7Xs.

 

Planet Nine during the Coronavirus pandemic

 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Planet 9 has been working daily to conduct international operations while managing and mitigating any risks associated with the virus and air travel. 

Planet 9 employees perform twice-daily health check-ins as a pro-active health quarantine measure in response to any  illness.

Passengers are greeted warmly by flight crew, but at a distance, wearing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment.

Its cabin service department has worked tirelessly to fine-tune its VVIP service, adhering throughout to strict hygiene, sanitization, and PPE best practices.  Hygiene practices are in effect even when off-duty. Flight crew follow strict layover practices to minimize exposure and all its jets are professionally and meticulously cleaned after every flight, as well as being cleaned by the flight crew, before, during, and after each flight.  Each aircraft is stocked and sanitized with commercial-grade disinfectant, specifically tested on commercial aircraft.

Planet 9 has implemented Cross-Agency Compliance following recommended strategies from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); US Department of State Travel; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); World Health Organization (WHO); plus others.

Its operations and client service teams evaluate the feasibility of every  trip in every  charter quotation, engaging with local FBO’s, handlers, and government agencies to ensure passengers and crew are compliant with all local requirements.

 

Planet 9's latest Gulfstream GV

 

About Planet 9 

 

Planet 9 is headquartered at the iconic Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, California and also maintains a presence in New York and London.  It flies corporations, family offices and UHNWs from the West and East Coasts of the USA to destinations including Europe, Russia and the Middle East.  It is led by a highly experienced team of aviation professionals and its business plan utilizes a ‘floating fleet’ model.  Planet 9 centres on the Dassault Falcon 7X fleet as its ‘owned’ aircraft of choice.  Planet 9’s Falcons all feature sparklingly refurbished cabin interiors, including full Wi-Fi and IFE from Gogo/Swift Broadband.  

 

Planet 9 holds ARGUS Platinum safety certification, closely followed by the endorsement of IS-BAO Stage 1 (International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), duly satisfying IBAC it is consistently delivering high operational standards in all aspects of its business.   Previously, it obtained Wyvern Wingman status, under its onsite flight leader program.