Starting this month, ConnectJets is offering charter services on the first Piaggio Avanti Evo to be delivered in the UK. As the exclusive sales agent for Piaggio Aerospace in the British Isles, ConnectJets confirmed the delivery of the distinctive twin turboprop pusher to a private owner earlier this week. The owner will be offering the aircraft for charter through ConnectJets’s charter arm.

Launched in 2009, ConnectJets serves the “private travel needs of individuals, businesses, governments, and royalty—including jet and helicopter charter and aircraft sales.” The Avanti Evo departed Piaggio’s center of excellence at Northwest Italy’s Riviera Airport in Villanova d’Albenga on on February 8 for London Southend Airport. The Evo is an attractive option for European charter, according to ConnectJets, due to its ability to operate from short, semi-improved runways, giving access to small airports that do not offer regular airline service.

The new owner, who lives and works in the UK, said, “The Avanti Evo was my first choice for a short-haul aircraft in Europe. Not only is it exceptionally fuel efficient, but the interior space is very large for an aircraft of its type. After spending many hours cooped up in small light jets, [I find] the height and width of the cabin space extrordinary. The innovative design of the airplane is a real head turner when it’s on the ground, too.”