Expands Service Area to Include Florida
SATSair will expand its service area
to include Florida as part of their overall growth plan. SATSair
has also signed a contract with Cirrus Design to acquire 50 Cirrus
SR22 aircraft with options on an additional 50 in a deal valued at
over $45 million.
"We're excited about expanding our fleet and service area to
include Florida," said Steve Hanvey, SATSair President and CEO.
"The decision was customer-driven. We've had a tremendous interest
level from people living in Florida; so starting November 1, we can
now provide point-to-point, on-demand service to them at over 100
airports throughout the state."
Now in its second year of operation, SATSair will include
Florida in its service area by November 1, 2006. Delivery has
already begun on the aircraft, and the first 50 of the order will
be delivered by early 2007. The fleet and service area expansions
will create pilot, mechanic, and customer service jobs across the
eastern United States, including over 300 in South Carolina and
Florida.
"In addition to the initial 10 aircraft we will be placing in
Florida right away, we will be increasing aircraft in key parts of
our established service area to meet growing demand," said Hanvey.
"The economic impact of the Cirrus contract is obvious, and the
effects of the service area expansion will be realized in job
creation, revenues at the airports and Fixed Based Operators we
serve and by local businesses in our service area as they utilize
our time-saving, cost-effective service."
Paula Raeburn, Executive Director of
the Florida Aviation Trades Association (FATA) also commented,
"SATSair will mean that business and leisure travelers will have an
affordable way to travel throughout Florida and the southeastern
United States by air without relying on scheduled airlines. The
ability to travel on your schedule will make air travel the
preferred way to meet with clients, take a short vacation or visit
family anywhere, anytime. FATA is looking forward to working with
SATSair to promote the general aviation industry to make air taxi
service an integral part of how Florida does business." FATA
represents general aviation in Florida.
SATSair is the first company to offer the innovative "Air Taxi"
service based on extensive research and strategic relationships
with agencies such as NASA and the FAA.
Using new Cirrus SR22 aircraft, SATSair's mission is to provide
safe, convenient, economical air travel and top-notch customer
service. SATSair's service area includes much of the eastern United
States, and the company plans continued expansion.