newyorktimes
Thousands of tiny new passenger jets will begin flying around the country soon, opening new travel opportunities at small airports around the country, the Federal Aviation Administration said today. The first 100 or so are expected to start flying this year, the agency said, but it also cautioned that the additional traffic could gum up the air traffic system.

In its annual aviation forecast, the F.A.A. projected sharply higher levels of non-airline flights in coming years because of the new planes, called "very light jets," which will seat four to six passengers. The new planes can fly almost as fast as an airliner, and at even higher altitudes, but will land easily at fields with 3,000-foot runways, half the length of those at big airports. With a range of 1,000 miles or more, proponents say the new jets will spawn a new generation of air taxis and charters that will carry travelers to airports within 20 minutes of their homes or destinations, at a price comparable to a coach airline ticket.

According to the F.A.A., 100 of the planes will be delivered this year, and more than 1,600 by 2010. Their cost is in the range of $1.5 million to $2.25 million, or about half what existing business jets cost.


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