Lufthansa will build up its own private jet fleet in the course of this year. The first of the new aircraft, a Cessna Citation CJ3, is due for delivery to the airline in March. All in all, nine new private jets will be entering service in the coming months. Lufthansa is creating its own private jet fleet in order to accommodate surging demand: In comparison with the previous year, the number of private jet flights operated in 2007 rose by 26 per cent. Customer demand strongly outstripped capacity, over the year by an average of around 25 per cent and in peak months by as much as 60 per cent.

Customer satisfaction ratings with the Lufthansa Private Jet (LPJ) service remain consistently high at over 90 per cent. The nine aircraft set to operate in the new fleet have been chosen from the Cessna and Bombardier plane makers, with first deliveries expected in March. “We are the only airline in the world to operate a successful private jet service alongside our portfolio of scheduled flights,” observed Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President Marketing and Sales, at Lufthansa Passenger Airlines. “In the premium segment, we offer our passengers peerless flexibility and exclusivity. With the LPJ service, we are once again setting the pace within one of aviation’s niche growth areas in Europe.”

Demand for aircraft especially in the mid to large-size category, accommodating seven to twelve people, rose disproportionately in the past year. It was at its strongest among customers from Germany, Scandinavia, France and Italy, who used the LPJ service primarily for point-to-point flights. Almost any connection is possible: Passengers can choose from more than 1,000 destinations in Europe and the Russian Federation. A steady rise in Lufthansa Private Jet bookings also came from customers in the USA and New Zealand. Overseas customers used the service mainly in combination with long-haul flights operated by Lufthansa and SWISS through the Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich hubs.  

In future, Lufthansa and SWISS customers will have a choice between four different aircraft types: Three Cessna Citation CJ1+ (light size – seating four passengers); two Cessna Citation CJ3 (small size – 6 passengers); two Cessna Citation XLS+ (mid size – 7 passengers) as well as two converted CRJ 200s similar to the Challenger 850 (large size – 12 passengers). Lufthansa will be the first commercial operator in Europe of the Cessna Citation XLS+. The private jets will come in neutral aircraft livery, albeit in recognisable Lufthansa colours. The cabin interior strongly resembles the design, materials and colour scheme of Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. The Terminal’s interior designer, Bernd Hollin from Frankfurt, was enlisted as a consultant on the aircraft design.  

In addition to operating its own private jet fleet, Lufthansa in future will also cooperate with two to three selected and certified partners in order to be able to respond flexibly when demand peaks. DC Aviation (DCA) signed up as a new partner last December after Lufthansa ceased its cooperation with NetJets. A seamless transition enabled Lufthansa to operate all flight bookings as planned. “With our own fleet of private jets and good cooperation with DC Aviation, we will be able to better serve customer demand in future, emphasised,” Thierry Antinori.