Directional Aviation launches FXAIR charter early due to demand

Directional Aviation has launched its new air charter service, FXAIR, early due to strong demand, it revealed on Wednesday (July 29th).

Originally planned for launch in the the fourth quarter, Directional reports a surge in demand for business aviation, especially charter, to minimise risk of exposure to the coronavirus. According to Gregg Slow, President, FXAIR, the company has been “quietly marketed” to customers for the past month and began flight operations on Tuesday (July 28th).

The service will complement Directional’s other on-demand air services like PrivateFly and Sentient Jet but the company said this offering will redefine on-demand air charter. FXAIR will providing clients with the same onboard service and safety as Directional’s fractional programme Flexjet, said the company.

FXAIR’s base fleet is composed of 17 former Flexjet aircraft – five ultra-long-range Global Expresses and 12 super-midsize Bombardier Challenger 300s. It plans to add Nextant 400XT light jets in the coming months and Slow expects the fleet to expand to about 40 aircraft by the end of 2021. FXAIR will also source aircraft from an approved network of flight providers not owned by Directional.

While FXAIR has no membership fees and offers pay-as-you-go charter, it does have an Aviator debit card programme. This adds benefits such as fixed-cost coast-to-coast flights, priority scheduling and a more lenient cancellation policy (24 hours versus 48 hours), as well as no-cost catering from a standard menu.

Andrew Collins, FXAIR’s CEO and director of Directional’s OneSky flight jet card and on-demand offerings, said: “FXAIR is intended for Continental US customers, while sister company PrivateFly will focus more on the international market.”