Onex-backed AirSprint to buy large-cabin jets in fleet expansion

Onex-backed AirSprint to buy large-cabin jets in fleet expansion describes a planned step-up in aircraft size for Canada’s largest fractional private jet operator. AirSprint Inc., headquartered in Calgary, said its CEO James Elian expects to buy at least five large-cabin aircraft over the next few years from Bombardier, Dassault Aviation or Gulfstream. The company operates a timeshare-style service that lets customers request flights with as little as 24 hours’ notice, and its current fleet numbers 44 jets from Embraer and Textron Aviation’s Cessna. Elian said the larger aircraft would enable nonstop flights from Montreal and Toronto to Europe. The timing calls for the first new plane within a year, with the remaining four within 18 months. AirSprint said investors including Onex and TriWest were behind the move, though transaction terms were not disclosed. Global private jet activity rose 3.7% in the first half of 2026 versus a year earlier, per WINGX Advance GmbH.