According to the Canadian Business Aviation Association, there are 1,900 business aircraft currently operating in Canada. About three quarters of those are fixed-wing machines, with helicopters accounting for the remaining 25 per cent.

These aircraft serve a wide variety of missions, from travel to remote northern outposts to quick trips to major financial centres in the U.S. or Europe. Indeed, it is the mission profile that is the key factor in determining which aircraft a company buys.

With that in mind, Skies set off to identify Canada’s most popular business aircraft. In other words, which models–both new and used–are the most prevalent players in the Canadian business aviation landscape? And, what makes them so well suited for this country’s typical mission profiles?

After examining the Transport Canada civil aircraft registry from 2014 to the present, a few clear trends emerged.

The registry shows that the three most popular manufacturers are Bombardier, Pilatus and Textron (which includes both Cessna and Beechcraft models).

Bombardier seemed to be the front runner, but a closer look revealed that since its Challenger model is built and initially registered here in Canada before it is exported to buyers, counting all of those aircraft wouldn’t reveal the true operational picture.

So, Skies filtered out only those aircraft registered to a Canadian company and based in Canada.

The data as of June 8, 2016 reveals that the Cessna Citation line is the most popular in the country, with 62 jets registered in Canada since the beginning of 2014. Leading the way were the 525, 550 and 560 models, which accounted for 42 aircraft.

Also in the jet category, there were 15 Challenger 604s and 17 Learjets registered in the same time period.

But not all business aircraft are jets. Turboprops also had a very strong showing, with 36 Beechcraft King Airs registered since 2014. The B200 model proved to be the most popular, with 26 registered.

Not far behind was the only single-engine aircraft on our list, the Pilatus PC-12 turboprop, with 31 registered in the same time frame.

Mission appropriate

Each business aircraft type offers a different suite of strengths.

The Bombardier Challenger makes sense for companies who wish to move several colleagues or clients over long distances in comfort. Since Canada is a vast and sparse country, this aircraft is well suited for those kinds of business missions.

The Learjet is perfect for quickly transporting smaller groups over shorter distances, as is the Citation Jet. However, the larger Citations like the X model have longer legs and can go the distance quickly.

Turboprops also have a strong following in the business aviation market. The King Air and the PC-12 are popular with businesses requiring short field takeoff and landing performance to get their people into airfields that can’t accommodate jets.

What about these top-selling brands makes them so successful in Canada? Skies asked the people who know them best.

Ray Kuliavas is vice-president of aircraft sales at Innotech-Execaire, the Canadian authorized sales representative for Cessna Citation aircraft for 23 years.

“I have always looked at business jets as business tools, and when it comes to Citations, the first three words that come to my mind are safety, simplicity, and reliability,” said Kuliavas. “Those three words can be dressed up with sentences about excellence in design, docile flight characteristics, and efficient economic operations, all supported by the largest global service network in the world.”

He noted that more than 40 per cent of the business jets operating in Canada are Cessna Citations.

“Citations are equally at home serving Canada’s rugged resource sector as they are whisking coast to coast at speeds of up to Mach .935,” said Kuliavas. “This is offered with a seamless progression from pilot-friendly, entry level jets to the fastest civilian jet in the world.

“But one of the most important reasons Citations are so well suited in Canada has nothing to do with technology or dollars. It is a fundamental binding value–trust.”

He added that Cessna has been delivering Citations for about 44 years and is closing in on 7,000 units worldwide, comparing the process of buying a business aircraft to dating.

“To use a colloquial analogy, people are on best behaviour when they’re ‘courting,'” he explained. “Once a fi

rm commitment is made in a relationship or a business deal is consummated, that is when the promises are put to the test. I believe brand prevalence is earned, and that Cessna’s ongoing customer support initiatives are a main contributor [to its success].”

Over at Bombardier Business Aircraft, Anna Cristofaro, senior advisor public relations and communications, said the Challenger jet is “an aircraft everyone loves. Built on the bestselling platform in business aviation, Challenger aircraft form the backbone of many corporate aviation departments and fleets worldwide.”

The Challenger family offers the industry’s best overall value, proven reliability, comfort and efficiency, noted Cristofaro. At the 2015 National Business Aviation Association trade show, Bombardier announced that the 1,000th Challenger 600 series aircraft would enter into service.

Bombardier also manufactures the Learjet in Wichita, Kan.

Learjets offer class-leading performance and have a celebrated lineage that spans five decades, said Cristofaro, but their modern-day performance continues to set the benchmark in private aviation.

“Bombardier is proud of Learjet’s legacy, and we’re even more excited about its promising future,” she said. “Learjets are great aircraft for charter fleet operators.”

Cristofaro explained that Challenger and Learjet aircraft are well-suited to the Canadian market because of their performance characteristics over long distances, outstanding reliability and passenger comfort. Moreover, the valuable on-board amenities on both aircraft offer Canadian businesses the convenience and the flexibility to remain competitive and highly productive.

“For example, the Challenger aircraft has the widest cabin in its class and can accommodate up to 12 passengers,” she said. “It has a range of nearly 4,000 nautical miles, covering city-pairs in Canada, but also has the flexibility to perform transatlantic missions when required. Challenger aircraft are also well-suited for the Canadian market because of their overall cost-efficiency and lowest-in-class operating costs. This makes them a staple of many corporate aviation departments and fleet operators.

“Learjet aircraft are also very well suited for the Canadian market because of their performance and ability to cover long distances in a light aircraft–and with eight passengers seated comfortably, it has the longest cabin in its class. The Learjet aircraft performs like a large business jet, but it’s a light aircraft, making it ideal for businesses relying on an efficient means of travel,” summarized Cristofaro.

Business turboprops

There are good reasons why there are more than 300 Beechcraft King Airs currently flying in Canada, according to Chris Charnley, regional sales director at Textron Aviation.

“Its short field performance, reliability, durability, and the low cost of operation make the King Air a perfect fit for the Canadian market,” he said. “If customers are looking for cost efficiency, nothing compares to a King Air for those trips under 500 nautical miles. Add the ability to land on those short strips, [and] the King Air is the best tool to get you to the smaller airports in Canada.”

Charnley expects the King Air market will continue to grow as new technology is introduced to make the aircraft quieter, faster, and more efficient.

“With the versatility offered by the platform we continue to explore opportunities within both the public and private sectors,” he said.

Another versatile platform for operators is the Swiss-made Pilatus PC-12. First delivered in Canada in the mid-1990s, the single-engine PC-12 has “taken the market by storm,” according to Stan Kuliavas, vice-president of sales and business development at Levaero Aviation.

“Canadian PC-12 operators certainly flex their aircraft’s muscles. The PC-12 is used for everything from a charter operator’s go-to platform to corporate use, medevac, and law enforcement,” he said.

Stan Kuliavas said PC-12 owners and pilots appreciate the aircraft’s versatility as both a business and special mission tool.

“The Pilatus lands as easily on unimproved dirt, grass, snow, and gravel strips as it does on paved runways. It is a great fit for the Canadian geography and a sensible option for Canadian operators from a cost-performance basis,” he continued.

“We see current PC-12 owners taking deliveries of new NGs on a regular basis and demand for the aircraft has not slowed, even during more challenging economic times where its operating cost efficiencies make it a no-brainer choice. Whether it’s the unrivalled safety levels, superior payload range performance, best-in-class cabin and lavatory, or leading Honeywell Primus Apex avionics suite, it’s an aircraft that Canada has said ‘yes’ to.”

When it comes to Canada’s most popular business aircraft, there is no doubt that Canadian operators love their Cessna Citations and Beechcraft King Airs, but other aircraft such as the Bombarfpdier Challenger and the Pilatus PC-12 also have a solid following.

Again, it all comes back to the old adage that the mission chooses the machine.