Danish operator BackBone Aviation is expanding its services to include jets, having been primarily focused on operating helicopters to date. It has acquired a CJ2+ on a commercial certificate for the first time, and md Nicolas Weber says that he is pleased that the aircraft has finally made it all the way to commercial certification: “We have had a lot of 'run-ups' but this is the first one that actually made it. We have operated helicopters on commercial terms before, and this aircraft was flown by another operator, so the owner just switched.”

The CJ2+ is a managed aircraft and is already being offered for charter. Weber says that the crew were a likely factor in the owner choosing BackBone. “The crew had previous experience with BackBone and they had positive experiences of our helicopter management,” he adds.

“By having an operation in Greenland we are forced to think ahead. If we miss anything we are grounded, and in Greenland that is quite a distance for a mechanic or a repair team to travel.”

The company will be looking to acquire more jets following the successful introduction of the Citation. Weber reveals that BackBone was in fact founded to operate jets as opposed to rotary and he himself is trained to fly fixed wing. “From my point of view, helicopters were neglected because I personally cannot fly them. Bringing in helicopters was not why we opened the company; it just so happened that there was a helicopter for sale and it had an ongoing operation in Denmark. We thought we might get into the aviation business quicker if we went for the helicopters first.”

According to Weber, the amount of business the operator has with the helicopters has not fallen away. He is looking to maintain commitment to helicopters, and would also like to expand the fixed wing segment.

He concludes: “By the end of the year I would like to have one or two more jets, and I would like to have a secure contract for our helicopter as well. We are on our first 12-month extension of a helicopter contract, and in the first instance I would like our client to extend their contract a further year. Alternatively, I would like to have found another contract for the helicopters beyond the summer 2015.”