New Phenom 300 Will Be Delivered In Brazil December 16

Executive AirShare leadership will soon depart for Brazil to take delivery of a new Embraer Phenom 300 executive jet. The ceremony takes place December 16 at Embraer’s headquarters in São José dos Campos. This addition will make the 22nd Phenom in Executive AirShare’s fractional fleet. EAS has a firm order for five Phenom 300s, with one received in early September and now this one in December. Three more will follow from Embraer’s Melbourne, FL facility.

“These orders highlight our investment with Embraer and our belief in its industry-leading design, comfort, performance and reliability,” says Keith Plumb, Executive AirShare CEO. “They also represent our ongoing commitment to our shareholders.”

Executive AirShare has added $96.1 million worth of aircraft in the last three years alone. The fleet now comprises 49 aircraft:  Embraer Phenom 100s and 300s, Learjet 45XRs, Cessna Citation CJ2+ and King Air 350s. Thirty-three of those support the fractional program; the other 16 are managed under its subsidiary, Executive Flight Services. In addition to its firm order for five Phenom 300s, it has options for five more. EAS took possession of Embraer’s very first Phenom 300 and now has the distinction of taking its last one out of Brazil, with future Phenom 300s built in Melbourne.

Executive AirShare’s broad fleet of jets and turboprops supports diverse mission types, from one-to-two person multiple short legs to nine passengers on nonstop coast-to-coast flights. Owners have access to the full fleet and can easily and economically upgrade or downgrade as needs arise.

In a move to provide even more flexibility, Executive AirShare added its LAUNCH lease program. It serves as an entry point for those needing the benefits of private air travel, but who are not yet ready for fractional aircraft ownership. Customers can lease an interest in any of Executive AirShare’s jets without a long-term commitment or upfront acquisition cost.
 
Executive AirShare maintains locations in Tulsa, OK; Fort Worth, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, TX; Buffalo, NY; Wichita, KS. and Kansas City, MO. It doubled its hangar space in Buffalo in 2014, recently built a new hangar at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (a 20 percent increase in its hangar space there), and plans to add an executive hangar at northeast Wichita’s Jabara Airport. The bases in Kansas City, Wichita, Fort Worth, Dallas and Buffalo provide maintenance for the fleet.

Executive AirShare employs 190, with 95 of those pilots. A recruitment campaign now underway seeks 20-plus pilots to fly the growing fleet of aircraft.

Executive AirShare earned the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Stage One certification in 2014, making it one of 700 business aviation flight departments out of 4,000 worldwide to earn this distinction. It is preparing for earning Stage Two certification in 2016. This focus on safety permeates every area: standard operating procedures, maintenance and equipment, flight operations, internal processes, risk analysis and personnel. It devotes a full chapter in its FAA-approved general operations manual to safety.
 
“Professional execution and safety is everything,” says Harry Mitchel, Executive AirShare chief operating officer. “We take great pride in instilling a safety-first and just culture while striving toward the highest safety standards possible. Our customers notice and appreciate the culture our team has adopted.”

A move will soon be underway. Executive AirShare plans to maintain its current office at the Kansas City Charles B Wheeler Downtown Airport, but it’s outgrown the space. Its headquarters will move next year to a new facility able to accommodate operations, sales, accounting and executive teammembers.
 
“We’ve grown through some of the toughest years in business aviation history,” says Plumb. “We pushed forward even under the pressure of a global recession and high gas prices. Today, we feel strong and rightfully proud of what our team has accomplished – and our plans for the future.”
 
Plumb stepped up from his former role as president and COO of Executive AirShare to assume the responsibilities of CEO in January 2014. He replaced Bob Taylor, now chairman emeritus. The two founded Executive AirShare in the fall of 2000. After four years in Wichita, they moved the headquarters to Kansas City, MO. They continue to work side by side, with Taylor primarily focusing on business development.

(Source: Executive AirShare news release. Image from file)

FMI: www.execairshare.com