This article is published in Business Aviation & AAM Report part of Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), and is complimentary through Apr 30, 2026. For information on becoming an AWIN Member to access more content like this, click here.
Luminair Founder Algernon Trotter at Textron Aviation’s exhibit at Aero Friedrichshafen.
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany—Textron Aviation kicked off Aero Friedrichshafen here April 21 with a pre-show announcement of a fleet order by European charter operator Luminair for nine Cessna Citation Latitude midsize business jets.
The company also announced the availability of Starlink high-speed connectivity as an aftermarket upgrade for the Cessna Citation Ascend, which has received FAA and EASA approval. Installations can be completed at Textron Aviation service centers in the U.S. and selected service centers internationally, company officials said.
For Luminair, the charter operator will take delivery of the first of nine Latitudes later in 2026 followed by a Latitude delivery every six weeks to two months, Algernon Trotter, Luminair’s co-founder, said in an interview with Aviation Week following the press conference.
“That’s a really quick pace,” Trotter said.
The Latitudes will join Luminair’s fleet, which now includes five Citation XLS business jets plus four Falcon 900 LX and four Falcon 7X.
Luminair has grown quickly since it began in late 2024. In 2025, it began the year with 21 employees and one aircraft. As of April 2026, it has 160 employees and 10 aircraft on its certificate. With the Latitudes, it will have a fleet of 22 by the middle of 2027.
“Our growth has been quite, quite extensive,” Trotter said. “We’re busy,” with high utilization and volumes.
Luminair leases the aircraft, including the Latitudes, from investors who own them, and aircraft brokers book the flights with Luminair.
“We focus on B-to-B; we focus on brokers—the brokers book through us, and through that, we are just able to pack the aircraft full of flights every day,” Trotter said, adding that this also supports the leases.
Related Content
