Pilatus Aircraft has delivered its 100th PC-24 jet. The Swiss plane maker delivered its first PC-24 in February 2018, and the now 100-strong fleet has logged more than 33,500 hours globally.
Four PC-24s have now been delivered in Southern Africa from agents Pilatus PC-12 Centre based at Rand Airport. The fourth PC-24, ZS-NIO, arrived in South Africa in January 2020, and goes to Newcastle based Ni-Da Trucking company – the ideal aircraft to support their 500 vehicle trucking operations across Southern Africa.
Ni-Da has a wide variety of business interests including; property development, retail, hospitality, tourism, entertainment and farming. The company has a long history of successfully operating a PC-12, ZS-NID, and the upgrade to the PC-24 re-affirms their commitment to the Pilatus range.
With the ability to utilise unimproved airstrips and fly steep approach profile, and deliver a 2,000-nm range and cruise speed of 440 ktas—the PC-24 has earned the approval of operators such as the Royal Flying Doctors Service in Australia.
The 100th PC-24 was delivered to Jetfly, which already operates 40 PC-12s—based in Bournemouth, UK.
Oscar J. Schwenk, Chairman of Pilatus Aircraft, said in a press release, “We hit the bullseye with the PC-24: I’m very encouraged by such high demand. We’re already sold out for 2021, but the order book is open for deliveries from 2022 onward. Investment in the PC-24 helps us to secure jobs at our Swiss site on a long-term basis. We are also working on further optimisations.”
The PC-24′s flat-floored cabin measures 501 cubic ft and can seat up to 10 passengers. Pilatus now offers an in-flight catering insert as an option on new PC-24s.
The single-pilot-operable jet is powered by two Williams FJ44-4A turbofan engines, and it features a unique double-slotted flap system, helping to provide its short-and-rough-field capability. Deliveries in 2020 and 2021 carried a base price of $10.7 million.
Powered by two Williams FJ44 turbofans, it competes with the Embraer Phenom and the Cessna Citation CJ4.
