Evolution Airways (TDA, Orlando International) is expanding its fleet with additional Citation-family jets following the induction of its first Citation II, founder Jonathan Houdyschell told ch-aviation in an exclusive interview.

The latest addition is N70KB (msn 550-0417), a 42.7-year-old Citation II, joining a Citation and a Citation I/SP, acquired earlier this year when Evolution launched operations. "The newest jet is a leaseback. In the future, we may look at capital leasing because the numbers work very well," Houdyschell said.

The company now plans to add another Citation 550 and two Citation 560s. "Choosing between the Citation Encore, Citation Ultra, or Citation Excel depends largely on training compatibility, as the Excel would require a new training setup," he said, noting that the economies of scale benefit pilots, maintenance, and operations at this size.

Citation as cost-effective platform

Economics drove Evolution’s focus on the Citation family. "Compared to alternatives such as the Hawker 400XP or King Air turboprops on the used market, the Citation family offers a more cost-effective solution," said Houdyschell. "It provides a wide selection of later-model aircraft for future additions, plus abundant parts availability and training support. It's like a Chevy or a Ford."

Maintenance is managed in partnership with Jetstream Aviation Solutions, a United States division of JetStream (Hungary). Despite the advanced age of its initial fleet, averaging 46.9 years, Evolution's jets have been refurbished in 2025.

"There’s an industry trend toward late-model aircraft from a consumer standpoint, but for those familiar with aviation, age can be deceptive. The only constant is the metal structure," Houdyschell explained.

He emphasised that the company's current offering targets newcomers to business aviation. "We’re reaching people who have traditionally not used business aviation. The aircraft make it far more attainable, both in perception and economics." Longer-term, Evolution will shift toward later-model platforms for efficiency gains.

"Democratising the private jet"

Evolution Airways is building a network where seats can be purchased like commercial airline tickets. "We’re democratising the private jet by making seating and availability accessible to the average consumer," Houdyschell said. He cited post-9/11 airline consolidation and post-COVID lifestyle shifts as key factors.

"As airlines and their regional affiliates consolidated, many communities lost service. At the same time, post-COVID, people increasingly prioritise quality of life when choosing where to live. That’s where we come in."

Based near Orlando, Florida, Evolution targets the space industry by serving three key clusters: Orlando Executive, Titusville Space Coast Regional and Huntsville International; Houston Hobby; and Scottsdale.

"We’re expanding across the Sun Belt, covering markets within a 500-nautical mile radius," Houdyschell said, aligning with demographic and corporate migration trends driven by tax-friendly policies in states like Texas.

The company is already a vendor for several major private firms in the space launch industry. Beyond that, Evolution plans to support the energy sector, serving oil fields as exploration increases. "Leisure destinations like Las Vegas matter and banking hubs in Utah and the Carolinas are also key," Houdyschell noted.

He described the company as building "semi-private transportation infrastructure." "We’re not just a Part 135 charter operation, though that remains important. We’re creating infrastructure for the space launch industry, energy sector, and everyday consumers." Pricing won’t match low-cost carriers, but “at the cost of premium economy or business class, it becomes a sustainable, mass-market productivity tool."

To ease adoption by corporate clients, Evolution integrates with company expense policies. "There’s often concern about extravagance, so we package our offering to fit within travel budgets," Houdyschell said. Spending is transparent with opt-ins and reporting. "It looks no different than buying an airline ticket, it just happens to be on a smaller jet." This is especially important in sectors like space exploration, where government funds require scrutiny.

Evolution currently partners with Space Coast Executive Jet Center, a fixed-base operator (FBO) located at Titusville. "It’s ideal to incubate this product," Houdyschell said. As for other business models, he emphasised the importance of focus. "We’re exploring ancillary services like medevac to maximise aircraft utilisation during downtime, but these are secondary to our core mission."

Future as a semi-private airline

Looking ahead, Evolution plans to bridge the gap between private and commercial aviation by positioning itself as a semi-private airline. "It’s still early, but within two years we plan to add aircraft like the E145 or CRJ200 in semi-private configurations," Houdyschell said. "These jets are rugged, dependable, and offer excellent economics. They’re designed for high utilisation but can be adapted into flexible packages."

Many of these regional jets are readily available on the used market as airlines shift to larger and newer types. "Airlines are moving toward bigger planes, leaving a surplus of smaller jets that fit our needs," he said. "When I started, 50-seat turboprops dominated regional flying. Those disappeared, and now regional jets are finding new life in business operations."

Evolution will also trial a flexible booking model. "We’re enabling crowdsourced flights in key markets and popular destinations," Houdyschell explained. "You can initiate a flight at no risk, and we then market any empty seats. This lowers the entry cost, with seats often just a few hundred dollars."

He compared the vision to models like JSX (United States of America). "Similar to them, we aim to be more business jet-oriented while keeping prices affordable and the cabin experience high quality." He also referenced NetJets Aviation and Flexjet. "That’s a USD45 billion domestic market. The commercial short-haul regional market is about USD150 billion. We only want a small slice, and that’s where our hybrid model fits." Regional flying serves both business and leisure, with roughly an 80-20 split, Evolution will primarily target enterprise demand, which Houdyschell sees as more economically resilient.