Beechcraft Corporation announced today at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (Ebace) that Wheels Up has exercised its option to purchase the next 35 King Air 350i turboprops from its initial order placed in 2013. 

The additional aircraft will help expand the membership-based private aviation company’s fleet throughout the US, according to the US aircraft manufacturer, which is a subsidiary of Textron Aviation.

Nearly two years ago, Wheels Up made the largest order in history for general aviation turboprop aircraft, encompassing up to 105 King Air 350i aircraft and including maintenance, service and support. 

The company took delivery of its first King Air 350i at NBAA 2013 and immediately began service.

To date, Wheels Up has taken delivery of 31 of its initial order of 35 King Air 350i aircraft. Deliveries of the additional 35 aircraft, which will be outfitted with the new Pro Line Fusion avionics system, are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2016. 

The private aviation company also has taken delivery of 10 factory-custom refurbished Cessna Citation Excel/XLS aircraft.

“The Textron Aviation family is proud that Wheels Up not only chose the King Air 350i to launch its revolutionary company, but that we can now offer them the industry’s widest range of aircraft solutions to support their growth,” says Scott Ernest, Textron Aviation President and CEO. “We look forward to expanding our relationship for years to come as Wheels Up continues to grow its membership.”

“I feel like we are just getting started,” says Kenny Dichter, Wheels Up founder and CEO, in connection with exercising the option for the next tranche of King Air 350i aircraft. “Our current Wheels Up fleet plan calls for 175 King Air 350i and 50 Cessna Citation Excel/XLS by 2021, and we are exploring ways to incorporate additional Textron products onto the Wheels Up platform. Europe is an ideal market for the King Air 350i and remains a focus for future expansion for Wheels Up.” 

The King Air 350i is the flagship of the twin-turboprop family with seating for up to nine passengers in the most comfortable and capable cabin offered in its class. The Wheels Up King Air 350i aircraft includes several special enhancements for Wheels Up members including state-of-the-art interiors, wi-fi connectivity and a luxury lavatory vanity. As its segment’s most efficient aircraft, the King Air 350i can take more passengers farther on less fuel for consistent savings.

More than 7,300 Beechcraft King Air turboprops have been delivered to customers around the world since 1964, making it the best-selling business turboprop family in the world. The worldwide fleet has surpassed 60 million flight hours in its first 50 years, serving roles in all branches of the U.S. military, and flying commercial missions ranging from traditional passenger and cargo transport to electronic and imagery surveillance, air ambulance, airway calibration, photographic mapping, training and weather modification.

Textron Aviation is part of Textron Inc and home to the iconic Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands, which account for more than half of all general aviation aircraft flying. 

The Textron Aviation companies include Cessna Aircraft Company and Beechcraft Corporation, bringing together decades of unmatched experience in designing, building and supporting airplanes. It provides the most versatile and comprehensive general aviation product portfolio in the world through five principal lines of business: business jets, general aviation and special mission turboprop aircraft, high performance piston aircraft, military trainer and defense aircraft, and a complete global customer service organization. Its broad range of products include such best-selling aircraft as Citation and Hawker business jets, King Air and Caravan turboprops and T-6 military trainer aircraft, all of which are backed by the industry’s largest global service network. 

Textron Inc is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems.