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Debonair, a new low-cost start-up based at London/ Luton, is symptomatic of the renewed demand in the 70 to 100-seat jet market (see Market Report, page IS). The carrier has launched services to three European cities with seven BAe 146s leased from USAir.
The aircraft are being leased for 16 months from USAir Leasing, with the airframes maintained on a power-by-the-hour basis by British Aerospace and engines by Allied Signal. Debonair has options on two more aircraft. The aircraft have been stored in the Mojave desert for five years and were refurbished and zero-rated at Marshall Aerospace at a cost of $1 million per aircraft. Debonair is one of the few examples of the use of venture capital to launch low-cost carriers in Europe, a path...