Following the delivery of 30 PC-24s since the first customer handover in February 2018, Pilatus has reopened its order book for its Super Versatile Jet. The PC-24 fleet leader, serial number 101 belonging to US fractional programme company PlaneSense, has already flown over 1,100 hours in its first 15 months of operation, and the PC-24 fleet as a whole has clocked up over 5,000 hours of safe airborne time.
Pilatus plans on delivering about 40 PC-24s in 2019, and on stepping up production to 50 aircraft the following year. Chairman Oscar J Schwenk says: “Demand for the PC-24 is phenomenal. 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 its incredible performance. These remarks, plus the high degree of attention which the aircraft commands, all confirm our chosen PC-24 strategy.”
EASA and the 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 very first PC-24 of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia's Central Operations, serial number 118, arrived in Australia on 29 April, 2019. A few days later, the first landings on unpaved strips went ahead in Kingoonya, a small and almost totally abandoned farming settlement in the central outback of South Australia. The PC-24 has also been certified for steep approaches such as the approach into London City airport.
In 2014, when the order book was first opened, 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.