Resale specialist Boutsen Aviation–exhibiting at MEBA on Stand 660 with sister company Boutsen Design–is presenting a Bombardier Challenger 604 in the static park here this week.
Well maintained, and with just 2,914 hours and 1,698 cycles, the aircraft is presently the lowest-time Challenger 604 on the market, claims Monaco-based Boutsen. Listed at $6.95 million, the aircraft is fitted with the Precision Plus avionics upgrade and Safe Flight’s AutoPower autothrottle enhancement. The 604 has been used only by its owner and is managed by an operator with an air operator certificate.
Established in 1997 by Formula One race car driver Thierry Boutsen and his wife Daniela, Boutsen Aviation has become a leading re-seller of business aircraft and helicopters. To date the company has sold 291 aircraft. Boutsen’s portfolio currently comprises 15 jets and helicopters, including a Gulfstream G550, Dassault Falcon 7X EASy II, Bombardier Global Express, AgustaWestland AW109 SP Grand new and Eurocopter EC135P2+. The company recently placed two G550s and a Falcon 7X.
“We have a representative in Dubai, which is a good base for sales I the Middle East and Asia,” CEO Thierry Boutsen told AIN. He singled out Qatar, where his company has placed seven aircraft over an 18-month period. “Transactions in the region take longer than the average and there is still a need for education, but I very much appreciate the loyalty of these customers.”
The sales team of four at Boutsen Aviation sells a total 20 to 30 aircraft per year. About 90 percent are pre-owned. Measured by aircraft type, turbine helicopters account for 20 percent of the total. Helicopters and business jets are following opposite trends, Boutsen said, as rotorcraft sales tend to concentrate in the lower-end segment, while large-cabin, long-range business jets are the ones that sell best.
For interiors, Boutsen Design works with 140 suppliers for crystal glasses, chinaware, bathroom essentials, cashmere plaids, etc. Most of them can be customized, Boutsen said. Usually, the owner makes his or her selection of such objects during the cabin design process, to ensure every piece of tableware fits well into the cabinets.
