Fractional ownership remains a hot topic at this year's NBAA. Not only are this year's high sales numbers linked to such programs, fractional ownership is clearly the growth engine of business aviation, says Bombardier Business Jet Solutions president Dennis Keith.

Based on this growth potential and its own customer demands, Bombardier will expand its fractional jet ownership program from North America to Europe, Keith says.

In doing so, Bombardier will become the first company to offer a full line of products (the Learjet 31A, Learjet 50 and Challenger 604) and large-cabin airplanes to the European fractional ownership market.

Bombardier will offer the three models initially in Europe and add more as the market demands, Keith says. The Global Express will join the Flexjet program in 1999 when two aircraft join the fleet.

"We will operate much the same way we do in the United States, offering the same levels of service," Keith said.

The location of the European Flexjet headquarters hasn't been determined yet, but it won't be Portugal, Keith says, referring to rival Executive Jets.

Bombardier has a full factory service center at Berlin-Schonefeld Airport and a large pool of spare parts at its Heathrow Airport depot. The company currently has operations in seven European countries and the UK. More than a quarter of its revenue is now generated in Europe.

Keith said that Flexjet differs from its rival ownership programs because their aircraft are all new, are operated by owners only (not by charters or for interim lift), and have far fewer owners per airplane (five, on average) than other programs. The Flexjet program only includes Bombardier airplanes, which makes them better able to coordinate services to its customers, Keith says.

Eventually Bombardier will add the new Continental midsize jet to the fleet, which Keith says will be a highly successful player in fractional ownership.

"The Continental will be the workhorse of the fleet along with the Lear 45 because they are so attractive," he says. Right now the Flexjet fleet numbers 55 aircraft including the Learjet 31A, Learjet 60 and Challenger 604s. The fleet will have nearly 350 owners by the end of the year.