Air taxis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is - or should be - a market for a jet taxi service in the region. An article published this week in El Periódico of Guatemala, observes that a ticket to New York is cheaper than one to Managua.

 

The high cost of regional travel has been a recurring topic in local media in recent years, especially with the growth since the 1990s in the United States and in Europe of air taxi services and fractional ownership.

 

In Central America, a few companies offer air taxi services, but only with turboprops, which fly at lower speeds and at lower altitudes than jets, which limits their attraction for executive travelers, typically the region's frequent and affluent fliers.

 

The recession has driven some producers of VLJs (very light jets) out of business. However, the Cessna Citation Mustang (already on the market) and the HondaJet (scheduled to go into production next year) are affordable, with prices in the range of $3 million in the case of Cessna and $3.75 million for Honda.

 

Central America is well-served by the main regional carriers in terms of schedules and quality. However, the volume of executive traffic and the price which travelers currently pay, suggest that the market is ready for an efficient executive-jet service.