Easyfly Of Colombia Expands With Five More Jetstream 41S

EasyFly S.A. of Colombia has bought a further five Jetstream 41 regional turboprop airliners from BAE Systems Regional Aircraft to accelerate the second phase of its development plan to expand regional services to small and mid-sized cities and towns in the country.

The airline’s existing fleet consists of four leased Jetstream 41s, the first of which entered service only eight months ago, principally linking the capital Bogota to destinations within 30-80 minutes flying time.

The first of the five newly-acquired aircraft (msn 41057) has recently been delivered and will be followed at intervals this year by the remaining four aircraft (msn 41067, 41073, 41079 and 41088).

Mr Alfonso Avila Velandia, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EasyFly commented: “Our airline has achieved great success in Colombia after only eight months of operation and we are now embarking on our second stage of expansion. We are delighted with the Jetstream 41. The aircraft has performed exceptionally and has adapted well to the country’s topographical conditions. An added benefit we have enjoyed has been the aircraft’s fuel efficiency.”

Under EasyFly’s second phase of operations, the five Jetstream 41s will be deployed progressively on routes from Colombia’s second major city, Medellin to serve destinations such as Barrancabermeja, Apartado, Bucaramanga, Cucuta, Monteria and Pereira.

This second phase of operations will involve 45 daily flights or 1,600 flights per month.

Hamish Davidson, Vice President Commercial for BAE Systems Regional Aircraft in Herndon, Virginia, USA added: “We are delighted to have secured this further commitment from EasyFly for five more Jetstream 41s. We have been very impressed with the airline and the professionalism of its management and we wish them well for their next phase of operation.”

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is the premier global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems’ sales exceeded £15.7 billion (US $31.4 billion) in 2007.