GainJet Aviation (GNJ, Athens) has resumed Global Express XRS operations after a 10-year hiatus, ch-aviation research reveals.
SX-LNS (msn 9240) was initially active on December 23, 2024, flying between Athens and Vienna, and the 18-year-old aircraft, configured for up to 13 passengers, has since been frequently operating to and from Freetown. African media have reported that Sierra Leone's president, Julius Maada Bio, has used the aircraft for state visits, including a flight to Dar es Salaam on January 25, 2025, for the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit.
Previously registered in the United States as N70ES, the aircraft was under the Part 135 certificate of Polaris Aviation Solutions and based at West Palm Beach International. It was removed from Polaris's Part 135 fleet at the end of 2023, marking the end of Bombardier Business Aircraft charter operations for the company. Subsequntly, the aircraft began flying regularly out of Sierra Leone's capital. On March 9, 2024, it flew for the last time as N70ES, between Dubai World Central and Athens, where it remained parked until the end of the year.
GainJet operates five other aircraft in its Greek-registered fleet, including two Challenger 604s, two Challenger 605s, and a G650ER. GainJet Ireland operates a locally-registered fleet comprising a Hawker 800XP (used for air medical services in partnership with Reva (United States of America)), two G550s, a G650, and a G650ER. The group also manages other aircraft, including a Bermuda-registered B737-700(BBJ) and a B737-900(BBJ), operated on behalf of Congo Presidential Flight as the country's presidential aircraft.
