Wheels Up Acquires Charter Operator TMC

Wheels Up today announced that it acquired Travel Management Company (TMC), an Elkhart, Indiana-based wholesale jet charter operator with a fleet of 26 Hawker 400XPs. According to the New York City-based membership-based private aviation company, the move strengthens its light jet offering and growing Charter Marketplace offering, which allows members to book charter flights from safety-vetted and verified charter operators.

TMC’s Hawker 400XPs will complement Wheels Up’s 93 airplanes (72 King Air 350is, 15 Citation Excel/XLSs, and six Citation Xs), bringing its all-Textron Aviation fleet to 119 aircraft. Further, Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter stressed that the acquisition will not alter Gama Aviation’s role in operating Wheels Up’s fleet. “We love our relationship with Gama,” he told AIN.

According to Dichter, TMC will operate as a separate subsidiary of Wheels Up and continue to provide the same service to its existing wholesale channel partners. TMC will also continue to be lead by its existing leadership team, including CEO Phil Dodyk.

“This acquisition is a foundational piece in our continued brand evolution and mission to provide our members with a total private aviation solution,” said Dichter. “TMC and its light jet fleet are a perfect complement to our anchor partner, Gama Aviation, which will continue to operate the aircraft in our Wheels Up fleet.”

Embraer Moving Bizjet Production to Gavião Peixoto

With joint venture Boeing Brasil Commercial (BBC) expected to assume its regional jet production facilities in São José dos Campos, production of Embraer’s Legacy 450/500 and Praetor 500/600 will move to Gavião Peixoto, the Brazilian airframer announced late last week. Completions, final flight-test operations, and delivery of Embraer’s midsize business jets will then be consolidated at the company’s Melbourne, Florida facility, it added.

The Gavião Peixoto site was begun in 2001 in answer to limited space in São José dos Campos. It was picked for access to transportation, sunny climate, and the flat terrain needed for Embraer to build a runway for tests, which at 15,400 feet long and 312 feet wide is the largest paved runway in the Americas. Gavião Peixoto already houses manufacturing facilities for Embraer’s Super Tucano light attack airplane and KC-390 military transport, as well as two paint shops, a business jet cabinet shop, and a service center capable of handling all Embraer products.

All heavy manufacturing of business jets will continue to take place in Brazil, a company spokesman assured, with the Praetors flying to Melbourne for finishing. At a meeting for small manufacturers in São José in April, outgoing Embraer president Paulo César de Souza e Silva told a supplier asking if they should open a Florida subsidiary, “Don't. Business jet manufacturing will remain in Brazil."

Aeroméxico Launches Private Jet Partnership

Aeroméxico, Mexico’s flag carrier airline, has launched a private jet division that will cater to passengers in Mexico and the U.S. It has partnered with Mexican private jet operator Aerolíneas Ejecutivas for flights south of the border, while Delta Executive Jets will handle the U.S. legs for Mexican users. This further leverages the existing relationship between Aeroméxico and Delta Air Lines, which launched the first transborder airline alliance with antitrust immunity between Mexico and the U.S. in 2017.

According to an Aerolíneas Ejecutivas spokesperson, the Aeroméxico Jet Card program requires an approximate $125,000 base purchase, to be used on the company’s fleet of Hawker 400XPs, Learjet 75s, and Challenger 604s at different tier pricing depending on aircraft class. Jet card users will also be eligible for upgrades on Aeroméxico.

Aeroméxico customers who wish to fly privately can use Aerolíneas Ejecutivas to fly within Mexico and to the U.S., Canada, and Latin and South America. Those wishing to fly between destinations in the U.S. will use Delta Private Jets aircraft and crews to avoid cabotage issues. Helicopter service within Mexico is also available to cardholders. The service debuted last week in Mexico, which is home to the world’s second-largest fleet of private jets.

Santa Monica To Begin Destruction of Excess Runway

The city of Santa Monica is moving forward with efforts to permanently destroy excess pavement at each end of the now 3,500-foot runway at Santa Monica Airport (SMO), a step designed to ensure the runway will not return to the previous 5,000 feet. Plans call for the tearing up 750 feet of extra pavement at each end and then constructing a 300-foot paved runway safety area at each end to keep the airport in line with federal standards.

SMO's new runway safety area is not intended to be as strong as the current structure that is capable of withstanding daily traffic. The remainder of the space will be seeded for grass. 

To be conducted in five phases, the project is to begin on June 16 and expected to continue through September 6. Each phase will involve airport closures, the city said. SMO will close altogether from July 8 to 11 and August 5 to 8, while other phases will involve overnight closures. The airport advises checking Notams concerning the closures or emailing Brian Ochoa.

“The city has always said that it wants to get rid of this pavement,” said Alex Gertsen, NBAA director of airports and ground infrastructure. “They want to make sure they do a really good job destroying it.”

FAA Clarifies Check Pilot Medical Requirements

The FAA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to remove regulatory inconsistencies that have caused reported misunderstandings over the fact that medical certificates are not required for check pilots and instructors at commercial operations who perform their functions in aircraft, as long as they are not serving as part of a required flight crew. “This proposed change would increase the number of experienced pilots who would be able to qualify as Part 135 check pilots on aircraft,” the agency said.

Current regulations are contradictory. For example, FAR 135.338(b)(5) states that flight instructors (aircraft) must hold at least a third-class medical certificate; however, FAR 135.338(e) states that an airman who does not hold a medical certificate may serve as a flight instructor in an aircraft if functioning as a non-required crewmember. According to the FAA, this confusion has unnecessarily limited airmen to conducting check pilot functions in flight simulation training devices. Changes are also proposed for similar contradictions in Part 121.

Requiring a medical certificate for check pilots and flight instructors who are not serving as required flight crewmembers is an “unnecessary burden,” the FAA said. Comments on the NPRM are due August 2.

Luxaviation Expands at Zurich, Adds Four Jets in Europe

Luxaviation Group has added a new hangar at its ExecuJet Zurich facility, which more than triples its capacity at the Swiss airport, and also announced fleet additions in Europe. At 53,820 sq ft (5,000 sq m), ExecuJet’s new private hangar at Zurich Airport is double the size of its existing facility and is large enough to simultaneously house several bizliners. The expansion also includes 107,639 sq ft (10,000 sq m) of apron space, complementing ExecuJet’s 43,056 sq ft (4,000 sq m) of private ramp parking.

“Hangar space is in very high demand at Zurich Airport, due to our cold, snowy winters. As well as being Switzerland’s largest international airport, Zurich is also the sixth-busiest airport in Europe for business aviation,” said ExecuJet v-p for Europe Niclas von Planta. “Now we should be able to host almost all traffic in one of our two facilities, even at peak times such as the annual World Economic Forum in January.”

Meanwhile, Luxaviation has added four aircraft to its fleet in Europe so far this year, including a Gulfstream GV and G650; Bombardier Challenger 650; and Embraer Phenom 300. The latter two are available for charter, it said.

SmartFly Launches Aggregated Bizav Buying Program

SmartFly, a new “global procurement agency” for the business aviation industry, launched today and aims to save operators money via its aggregated buying power. According to SmartFly managing director João Casimiro, the company “has been formed to make the procurement of aviation services and commodities more valuable for the industry, our members, and suppliers.”

The company started as the outsourced procurement partner for Luxaviation Group and is now being run as an independent business. Thus, it said, SmartFly’s customers have immediate access to high volumes of supply, offering increased buying power and negotiating leverage from a highly experienced team.

For aircraft owners, SmartFly offers selected services—including training courses, web data, and fuel—at a “significant” discount thanks to its bulk purchases of services and commodities. Aircraft operators are also able to use SmartFly to negotiate across all services contracts, it said.

“We work with owners and operators to understand their individual requirements before negotiating with suppliers on their behalf,” said Casimiro. “We help owners and operators to buy better; we obtain the best value proposition for the services and commodities needed throughout the entire supply chain.” 

Guardian Flight Expands Reach in Arizona with Sunrise

Guardian Flight has expanded its footprint in Arizona to nine bases with its acquisition of Sunrise Air Ambulance, which has four air medical transport bases in the state. Sunrise Air Ambulance joins Guardian Flight companies Eagle Air Med and AeroCare Medical Transport to provide medevac services in Arizona, and has a fixed-wing and rotary-wing operation in Show Low, as well as bases in Springerville and Safford.

Sunrise CEO and program director Mike Hayes will continue to oversee the Sunrise bases. “Now that Sunrise is a part of Guardian Flight's air medical operations, our presence in the state will grow even stronger as we are now able to take advantage of its market strength in the region,” Hayes said.

Part of Air Medical Group Holdings, Guardian employs 750 and operates about 85 fixed and rotary-wing air medical aircraft in the Upper Midwest, Mountain West, Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaii.

"We welcome the tremendously experienced and professionally trained Sunrise team of flight and medical providers to Guardian Flight,” added Randy Lyman, Guardian Flight senior v-p of operations. “Adding Sunrise's eastern Arizona bases strengthens our footprint within the state as we begin working more closely with Mount Graham Medical Center, Summit Healthcare, and White Mountain Regional Medical Center."

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Textron Aviation Builds First Latitude Air Ambulance for Norway

Textron Aviation and Babcock International have developed the first Cessna Citation Latitude configured for air ambulance operations, and it’s going to be flown by the Air Ambulance Services of Norway this summer. The special-mission business jet is part of an 11-aircraft order that includes 10 Beechcraft King Air 250s. The King Airs are useful in many situations, but there are special circumstances where the Latitude can save critical time.