Canada-based fractional jet ownership company AirSprint Inc has accepted its 10th Cessna Citation CJ3+ jet from Textron Aviation, growing its Citation fleet to 16 jets and bringing the total number of aircraft in its collection to 27. AirSprint now operates with 11 Embraer Praetor 500/Legacy 450/500, 10 Cessna Citation CJ3+ and six Cessna Citation CJ2+ aircraft.

“We are incredibly proud of this milestone moment. As more and more companies come to understand the business case for business aviation, we will continue to expand our Cessna Citation fleet to meet the growing demand for the light jet experience,” says vice president, operations, and COO Jared Williams. “This expansion demonstrates our commitment to a sustainable aviation future and our dedication to supporting the business industry across Canada.”

President and CEO James Elian said in a 2021 white paper: “Canada is a big country. One of the key uses for a business aircraft is transporting employees and customers to multiple sites. It’s a wonderful business tool if you have a remote site and are trying to get key customers, suppliers or buyers out to see the nature of your operation. Many people buy only what they can touch and feel.”

Notably, so far in 2022, the AirSprint Citation fleet alone has completed mpre than 3,000 missions and this recent expansion opens many more opportunities for its current and future fractional owners in Canada.

At the same time, and after 15 months of preparation, the company has demonstrated its commitment to safety and has been awarded Wyvern’s Wingman PRO certification, the highest certification in private aviation. Launched in 2018, the Wyvern Flight Leader Program is designed to raise the bar for private aviation safety. Since then operators worldwide have realised the benefits from the ongoing collaboration at the heart of the Flight Leader Program. Through this collaboration and sharing of operational and leadership best practices, operators like AirSprint can keep moving their safety programme forward.

“Safety is woven into every aspect of our company. It is a top priority with every decision or directive, regardless of the initiative’s size or the roles involved,” says Williams. “Our dedicated team, safety culture, training, standardisation and innovative technology are all part of our continuous improvement mindset. Our elevation to Wingman PRO through the Flight Leader Program is a massive step towards continuing to be better.”

Director of safety and quality Mike Vandermark adds: “We have developed an important relationship with our Flight Leader coach, allowing our team to be open about areas we want to improve and to celebrate our successes. Collaborating with our coach provides new perspectives and solutions to our challenges and allows us to share ideas that have improved safety in our operation.

“We encourage all operators to seek a mentoring or coaching relationship to support and benefit their safety programmes. For AirSprint, the Wyvern Flight Leader Program provides this in a structured format that is fresh and practical.”

Wyvern Flight Leader coach Mike Atzert comments: “AirSprint is a thoroughly professional organisation. With every meeting, its dedication to exemplary management of the full breadth of its safety programme becomes more evident. The AirSprint safety management team exhibits thoughtful and cogent safety perspectives combined with a keen interest in new ideas and a great capacity for practical application of safety principles and precepts.”