PhilJets, one of the leading business aviation companies in the Philippines, has ordered three brand-new Bell 505 helicopters to sustain its expansion plan. Celebrating its sixth anniversary, PhilJets, the business aviation arm of Negocia Group, will be operating four Bell helicopters in its growing fleet.
The single-engine helicopter, designed to efficiently transport four passengers at the most optimized operating cost in its category, is marked to become the new flagship of the PhilJets fleet.
“We are excited to further strengthen our relationship with Bell Helicopters with this exciting acquisition,” said Thierry Tea, chairman of PhilJets. “PhilJets is embarking on a new era of style, efficiency, enhanced customer satisfaction and competitiveness thanks to this partnership with Bell. We are thrilled to operate the Bell 505, with its advanced avionics system and comfort for passengers. It is the most cost-efficient helicopter in the Philippines thanks to its low operating cost.”
The three helicopters, acquired through Starline Global Industries, PhilJets’ parent regional company, will be joining the Bell 407 GX that has already been in operation since 2017.
Also called Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, the helicopters will be allocated for the growing Philippine business aviation segments such as tourism, corporate flights, and VIP transport.
“With Bell’s incredibly reliable customer support, PhilJets trusts that the addition of these few more helicopters from Bell will strengthen our operations,” Willyn Villarica, CEO of PhilJets declared. “It is the helicopter of the future and we are so excited to start flying our customers with it.”
PhilJets was established in 2013 and has grown to become a leading player in the Philippine business aviation market, operating 10 helicopters and four business jets. The company has been growing at a fast pace with a 100 percent growth year on year for four years. It has registered a healthier 25 percent revenues growth in 2018 and aims at a 35 percent growth in 2019.
Tea added: “These additional helicopters will provide us with more capacities, flexibilities and incredible synergies. We are aiming to reach 30 aircrafts including 20 helicopters in the next three years.”
“Today’s agreement with PhilJets demonstrates the strong demand for the Bell 505 in Asia Pacific across a wide variety of market segments ranging from military trainers to tourism and corporate,” said David Sale, managing director, Asia Pacific, Bell. “We are pleased to begin this relationship with PhilJets, starting with these three Bell 505 helicopters, and we look forward to providing them with industry leading service and support for the aircraft.”
