The three business-class-only airlines that flew out of the U.K. to New York (MaxJet, Eos and Silverjet) are all now history but the last outlier, Paris-based L'Avion is still around. For now. British Airways has snapped up the French all-business airline l'Avion for 54 million pounds ($107 million). The privately owned airline flies two Boeing 757 aircraft with 90 seats each between Paris and New York.

Once the deal is done, l'Avion will become a subsidiary of British airways and become part of Open Skies, their transatlantic airline. Open Skies operates with its own crew and pilots (there is only one aircraft so far). Open Skies planes have 24 seats that convert into beds, 28 in premium economy and 30 in economy making it closer to the l'Avion model than traditional British Airways flights.

Marketwatch speculates that it may be possible that l'Avion, like the other business-class airlines was hardly a moneymaker and may have never turned a profit.

Aero-News Network is reporting from the 8th Annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition where Hawker Beechcraft Corporation just launched their latest business jet, the Beechcraft Premier II light jet. The Premier II is the next step up from the Premier IA and is a twin turbofan, swept wing, light jet aircraft that will have a 20 percent longer range with four passengers and an increased payload. It offers a medium-jet sized cabin at light jet costs, holding up to six passengers and their luggage. The planes will use new FJ44-3AP turbofan engines from Williams International which offer more than 23 percent more thrust from the Premier IA. Combined with new elliptical winglets which offer reduced drag, the new engines let the business jets hit a maximum cruising altitude of 45,000 feet and fly farther. The first flight is scheduled for a year from now with FAA certification planned for the middle of 2010.

When MAXJet, one of the airlines doing the London to New York business class flights folded last December I wondered who might be next. Now it seems that the answer is Eos Airlines. The NY Times reports that the company has stopped flights and filed for bankruptcy protection. When MAXJet stopped operations it was Eos that picked up their stranded passengers. Eos ran their final flights on Sunday.

In February, British Airways announced a new business-class service from London to New York. The airline has two Airbus A318 to service the new route, fitting them with lie flat beds for 31 passengers. They will likely be competing against Silverjet, the remaining small carrier doing business flights from London to New York. Eos had offered flights on Boeing 757s reconfigured with 48 seats that turned into flat beds. The flights offered gourmet foods and wines and individual DVD players at the seats for prices ranging from $3,500 to $9,000 roundtrip. The airline was a success but was simply not making enough money and failed to raise a necessary $50 million additional financing to help pay debts.

We've been hearing about the Aerion supersonic business jet for a while now but it looks like plans for the jet, which can hit Mach 1.6, are moving ahead full steam. The manufacturer has announced that it has letters of intent worth $1.5 billion from customers interested in paying $80 million for the plane. Their first customer is the Pakistan-based Princely Jets.

The supersonic jet can go more than 4000 nautical miles offering eight to 12 passengers a luxurious ride. It can zoom across the Atlantic from New York to Paris in four and a quarter hours. The streamlined design reduces the area of high drag airflow. The cabin will have LCD lights, personal comfort zones and recliner seats with three separate seating areas with a galley and toilet.

The initial deposit for the jet is $250,000. The company estimates that over two decades it could sell more than 500 jets, with about a fifth coming from the fractional business jet market. The jet should be entered into service by 2014.

[via The Australian]

Austrian Airlines has become the latest carrier to get into the private jet business. They have established a partnership with JetAlliance to deliver private jet flights for their Business Class passengers anywhere throughout Europe to Vienna International Airport with only two days notice. The service insures that you can then board your long-haul connection without waiting, passing through a separate passport and security control and proceeding directly to the aircraft. Passengers also have the option of being delivered to the aircraft in an Austrian Business Jet limo. The Vienna Airport VIP Lounge and JetAlliance VIP lounge are also both available to travelers.

[via Private Jet Daily]