European air taxi group Blink has announced the acquisition of Italian air taxi operator MyJet. The move adds three Cessna Citation Mustangs to the fleet, raising it to nine, while extending its coverage into the lucrative northern Italian region. Operations now cover the key hubs of London, Paris, Nice, Geneva and Milan. MyJet’s aircraft will continue to operate under their existing livery but will be brought under the Blink brand in the future.

“The acquisition of MyJet [is] further validation of what we set out to achieve with Blink in 2008,” said Cameron Ogden, managing director and co-founder. “This is a demonstration that the European air taxi industry has come of age, and the much talked-about period of consolidation has started. In MyJet we have a wholly complementary business that shares our passion for true air taxi operations, a best-in-class maintenance operation, and the reliability of management and corporate organization.”

Blink was launched in 2008, and its existing fleet of six Citation Mustangs has now flown more than 17,000 hours. Annual utilization of the fleet averages more than 600 hours per aircraft. More than 800 airfields are covered by the network, many of them locations that are difficult to reach by airline service.

Since 2011 Blink has been based at Blackbushe Airport, about 35 miles west of London, and has now acquired the airfield. The purchase allows the company to secure tenure and regulate costs. The company plans to invest in the field so that it can offer high-quality private and executive facilities. The company will also soon launch upgrades to its system to provide real-time pricing and availability information.