News
Pilatus reopens PC-24 order book
“Canadian customers can now secure firm positions, and add to their fleet an aircraft that will be able to take them closer to their final destination, in a cabin that is unrivalled by any manufacturer in its class.”
May 21, 2019 By Wings Staff
The Pilatus PC-24 has now amassed more then 50,000 fleet flight hours. (Photo: Pilatus) Pilatus has now handed over 30 PC-24s since the first customer delivery of the aircraft in February 2018. The PC-24 fleet leader, serial number 101 belonging to PlaneSense, has now flown more than 1,100 hours in its first 15 months of operation, while the PC-24 fleet as a whole has flown more than 5,000 hours.
In 2014, Pilatus sold 84 PC-24s in the space of one and a half days. The order book was subsequently closed until receipt of feedback from the first PC-24 operators. Pilatus and its Authorised Pilatus Centres are now taking orders for the PC-24 again, with delivery positions programmed for late 2020 and 2021. The base price of the PC-24 is U$10.7 million.
Pilatus plans on delivering about 40 PC-24s in 2019, which is set to include delivery of Canada’s first PC-24 this summer. “With the first Canadian PC-24 delivery being imminent, we are especially excited for the reopening of the PC-24 order book,” said Stan Kuliavas, vice president, sales and business development, at Levaero Aviation, which serves as Canada’s exclusive dealer for Pilatus.
“Canadian customers can now secure firm positions, and add to their fleet an aircraft that will be able to take them closer to their final destination, in a cabin that is unrivalled by any manufacturer in its class,” continued Kuliavas. “Add to it the versatility of the PC-24 platform, and you have yet another Pilatus aircraft that will change the landscape of Canadian aviation.”
Pilatus expects to increase its annual production of the PC-24 to 50 aircraft in 2020. “Demand for the PC-24 is phenomenal,” said Oscar Schwenk, chairman of Pilatus. “From day one, there has been keen interest from various customer segments all over the world. Feedback from the first 30 PC-24 operators is extremely positive, with special mention for the aircraft’s versatility, its spacious, quiet cabin and the incredible performance of the PC-24. These remarks plus the high degree of attention which the aircraft commands all confirm our chosen PC-24 strategy.”
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have already certified the PC-24 for use on unpaved runways. Work to obtain post-certification for other surfaces, including grass, is currently underway. The PC-24 has also been certified for steep approaches as required – the approach into London City Airport, for example.
The very first PC-24 of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS Central Operations) with serial number 118 arrived in Australia on April 29, 2019. A few days later, Pilatus explains the first landings on unpaved strips went ahead in Kingoonya, a small and almost abandoned farming settlement in the central outback of the Australian state of South Australia.
