|
July 2009 Air Taxi Industry Update
|
|
Message from the President
Dear Colleagues,
What does an airline alliance mean for you? With major airlines, it means better flight connections. In the air taxi world, it means greater efficiencies for you.
SATSair and ImagineAir just launched the first next-generation air taxi alliance. There are no scheduled flights and no flight connections. Instead, it's about more efficient use of aircraft. No longer with SATSair and ImagineAir aircraft pass one another in the sky without passengers on empty legs where they could have passengers . They will be coordinated so that every flight possible is filled. That increases revenue and decreases costs for both companies to your benefit. If SATSair has more passengers than it can take on a given day, then passengers can be flown on ImagineAir and vice versa.
A few weeks ago, I was an early beneficiary of this cooperation as a passenger. I was scheduled to fly from Manassas, Virginia to Knoxville, Tennessee on SATSair. At the last minute, ImagineAir had a passenger flight scheduled to arrive in Manassas. Instead of SATSair flying an empty plane to Manassas, ImagineAir used their aircraft from Manassas and flew me to Knoxville. The next day, ImagineAir flew from another passenger from Knoxville to Atlanta. Suddenly, two empty flight legs were full. This saved both SATSair and ImagineAir hundreds of dollars in fuel, pilot, and aircraft time. More efficient use of aircraft means better value for air taxi passengers .
The addition of on demand air taxi companies continues even in challenging economy. There are now over 90 Cirrus SR-22 aircraft in use in the United States being used as air taxis. PROAIR Charter joined the Air Taxi Association and announced their launch from Dallas, Texas this past week. We're proud to see the continued growth of leading air taxi companies with more affordable flights spreading further.
Best regards,
Joe Leader
President, Air Taxi Association (ATXA) |
Executive AirShare Receives Embraer Phenom 100
CharterX
Aviation firm Executive Flight Services, Inc. dba Executive AirShare has received its second new business jet, the first to go into actual service for Kansas City customers.
Executive AirShare, which sells fractional shares in aircraft to companies and wealthy individuals, said late last month that it has taken delivery of the Embraer Phenom 100 very light jet. It is the second of seven new aircraft the company expects to operate this year.
The first Phenom 100 was delivered in April and has served as a demonstrator for potential customers.
|
Cirrus Battered by Changing Forces
Richard Thomas, BusinessNorth.com
About 150 private planes carrying 300 people flew into Duluth June 25 for the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association annual convention.
Overshadowing the event was that their beloved aircraft manufacturer is buffeted on several fronts: recession, shifting internal control, wrongful death lawsuits and its co-founder seeking to split the company.
Board chairman Alan Klapmeier announced June 26 he had formed a team to raise money. His goal to buy Cirrus’ highly touted SF 50 Vision personal jet program from the company’s majority owner Arcapita Bank and embark separately on production.
|
JetBird Moves Closer to Air Taxi Launch 
Kate Sarsfield, Flightglobal
Air taxi start-up JetBird has taken a step closer to the commercial launch of its pan-European operation in September with the unveiling of its online flight booking system.
JetBird has firm orders for 59 Embraer Phenom 100 very light jets and has an option on a further 41 Phenom 100s and/or Phenom 300 light jets.
The start-up says the booking system - which is now in its testing phase - is unique to the European private jet industry. "While most scheduled commercial airlines currently offer an internet-based, real-time booking service, no existing European private jet operators, whose services are by their nature unscheduled, provide such a service. Instead, only web-based quoting services are provided, while booking must be completed on the phone or via an intermediary."
|
Embraer CEO Expects Firm To Survive
Anthony L. Velocci, Jr., Graham Warwick and Joseph C. Anselmo, Aviation Week
A push by Brazilian regional jet builder Embraer into executive jets has collided with the worst downturn the business aviation sector has ever seen. At the Paris air show, President and CEO Frederico Fleury Curado discussed with Aviation Week & Space Technology Editor-in-Chief Anthony L. Velocci, Jr., Senior Editor-Technology Graham Warwick and Senior Business Editor Joseph C. Anselmo how the global economic downturn could alter the business jet landscape and why he believes Embraer will be one of the survivors.
|
Klapmeier Lays Out Jet Plans
Russ Niles, AVweb
Well, no one has ever accused Cirrus Aircraft Chairman of the Board Alan Klapmeier of backing down from a challenge and he's taken on a big one. Klapmeier announced last week that he's trying to buy the Vision SF 50 jet program from the company he and his brother Dale founded 25 years ago. The news caused a sensation at last week's gathering of Cirrus owners in Duluth and rippled through the industry. Now that the dust has settled some, Klapmeier says he has a picture of the reaction to the news and he's explaining the rationale behind the blockbuster news. In this podcast, Klapmeier lays out the history, the plan, and what he hopes will be the future of the project.
|
|
|
Certified: 'PROAIR Charter' Fields SR22s For New Air-Taxi Operation
Aero-News Network
Signs Of The Times... Affordable S/E Air Taxi Ops Continue To Show Progress
PROAIR Charter tells ANN that it will be fielding an FAA-approved SR22-based Air-Taxi (on-demand) operation, while operating under its Rite Way Aircraft operating certificate. PROAIR charter's choice of Cirrus SR22s make for a compelling argument during tough times for on-demand operators. proair notes that its aircraft have conformed to the obligatory and very stringent FAA inspections and its pilots meet similarly rigorous requirements for safety.
|
Former Cessna CEO Meyer Joins Aviation Hall Of Fame
AVweb
For 2009, the National Aviation Hall of Fame will induct astronauts Eileen Collings, the late Edward White and movie legend the late Jimmy Stewart, alongside Russ Meyer, who led Cessna Aircraft as chairman and CEO from 1975 to 2003. Cessna had halted production of its piston-powered aircraft amid liability issues that held the manufacturer responsible for aircraft over its entire life. Meyer is credited with helping pass the 1994 General Aviation Revitalization Act, limiting liability for manufacturers and leading Cessna to re-enter the general aviation market.
|
Stratos Will Bring VLJ Mock-Up To Oshkosh
AVweb
So far, start-up companies aiming to build very light jets
have found the going tough (the now-defunct Eclipse
Aviation and Adam Aircraft, for example), but that isn't stopping newer companies whose leaders believe they have a better idea. One of those is Stratos Aircraft, a Bend, Ore., company that is moving forward with its concept of a very light personal jet, the Stratos 714, which it announced last May. The four-seat single-engine jet will go 1,500 nm at 400 knots, and it will be easy to manufacture, easy to fly, and easy to maintain, the company says. A full-scale cabin mock-up will be ready for display at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh later this month. "The full-size mock-up clearly demonstrates the level of roominess and comfort we are aiming to achieve," said CEO Michael Lemaire. "No amount of blueprints or renderings can replace actually sitting in the cabin." Company officials also will use the opportunity to gather feedback that can be incorporated into the final design.
|
Cirrus Chief Pushing Light Jet Program
Frances Fiorino, Aviation Week
Cirrus Design Chairman and co-founder Alan Klapmeier is a man on a special mission. He is seeking $120 million in new equity to "reaccelerate" his Vision SJ50 single-engine light jet program.
Armed with a mockup of the jet, a Cirrus team headed by Klapmeier, in June completed a five-week tour of capital investors, trying to generate interest in the program - no easy task in this current market.
|
GA Needs A Voice In Security Plans, Alphabets Say
AVweb
Both the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and AOPA said this week that current proposals now in play in Washington are good news for general aviation. One bill introduced in the House would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to create a rulemaking committee including GA industry stakeholders, which would have input into new security measures that affect the industry. "This legislation shows that Congress understands that we can accomplish more good if we work together rather than separately," said NBAA President Ed Bolen. The committee would address proposals such as the TSA's Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP), which has been widely opposed by GA operators and pilots. After receiving more than 7,000 comments on its proposed LASP rule, most of them in opposition, the TSA has said it will issue a new NPRM before issuing a final rule.
|
| To advertise in the Air Taxi Association Industry Update and reach over 2200 air taxi industry professionals and up to 60,000 additional aviation enthusiasms, please fill out a contact form or call us directly at +1.678.855.7177. |
Air Taxi Association (ATXA)
Two Ravinia, Suite 500
Atlanta, GA 30346
www.atxa.com
 +1.678.855.7177 | | | |
|
|
|
|
Print Page
