JetFlite International (JFI), a leading provider of aircraft management and charter services worldwide, after seeing its 10 percent growth in charter activity through last October plummet in the last quarter of 2011 is adapting to meet the continuing challenges facing aircraft charter.
“The second half of 2011 was a tough market,” said Bill Cripe, JFI’s Chief Executive Officer. Nevertheless, Cripe said JFI is taking aggressive steps to stem the downturn slide early in 2012 while positioning the company to deal with a tighter business aviation market. Damon Dannecker has been promoted to Director of Operations based at the Long Beach facility and Warren Hogan to Chief Pilot.
“We are getting more of our people involved in the sales process,” he said. “We want to have more of a mix in our business base. We are also taking steps to bring our operations and staff in New York and the West Coast much closer together. That will help increase our efficiency.”
Cripe said that JFI has already seen an improvement in charter demand. “JFI had the best January charter sales in several years. The flights were not only international but a combination of domestic and international legs.”
Cripe sees changes taking place in the charter business in the new year. “We are talking to more people about entering into leases covering aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI).”
JFI has three major hubs of aviation, New York, Moscow, and the West Coast where it has operating bases and is one of the few charter and management operators with operations on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Cripe said 54 percent of JFI’s business in now overseas.
Last year JFI, with a fleet of 13 aircraft, opened a sales and business development office in New York City while it has an operating base at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY. In October, JFI entered an agreement with Moscow-based Best-Jets LLC to help JFI develop its business aviation interests in Russia. The new venture is called JFI Russia. JFI has been utilizing Best-Jets’ handling services and aircraft for the past five years.
“I expect JFI Russia to be an integral part contributing to our growth this year,” Cripe said. “We’re getting to the point where we are moving our airplanes to where our business is.” JFI moved a GV, several GIVs and a Challenger 601 to Moscow last fall where it has sales, handling and dispatch and new business lead support.
Cripe is expecting its JFI JetCenter at Long Beach Airport with its new Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part145 Repair Station Certificate to impact JFI’s 2012 bottom line. The certificate issued in October allows JFI to perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, repairs, and alterations on a number of aircraft models that are well represented within the JFI fleet. JFI has recently completed a double engine change on a Gulfstream III.
Cripe said the hiring in November of two veteran aircraft technicians Joe Cupaiolo and Adam Delhotal as maintenance managers based at JFI’s Farmingdale facility has already had a positive financial impact going into 2012.
During the first quarter of 2012 Cripe said he anticipates announcing details of a JFI Advisory Council. The council will offer aviation managers and owners and JFI a forum to share ideas to meet their transportation needs.
“In today’s tough economic environment many companies are realizing that the cost of competing is more expensive than ever before,” Cripe said. “We at JFI have received a number of phone calls from current and prospective clients asking how we can tailor a JFI solution to complement their needs. We will be using them to share with us their perspectives on how JFI can be better attuned to meet their varying needs.”
Last year JetFlight International flew to more than 35 countries including Algeria, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Israel, Morocco, Russia, Ukraine and Vietnam.
For additional information call 1-562-425-8880. Visit the corporate website at www.jfijets.com.
E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the Avinode News Editor at TheDaily@Avinode.com.
