Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

Contributor

Mark Huber

Atlanta-based Volato is moving quickly to accommodate stranded aircraft owners and pilots impacted by last week’s shutdown&nbsp;of fractional HondaJet provider Jet It.&nbsp;Volato CEO Matt Liotta told AIN this morning that his company is prepared to offer Jet It HondaJet owners short-term leases and onboard&nbsp;pilots displaced by the shuttering. Liotta said the key to the strategy was moving quickly before too many airplanes and pilots were dispersed.
He added that Volato had been in touch with roughly half of Jet It aircraft owners and that the company's former&nbsp;pilots were already applying for employment. Liotta said hiring simulator-current, insurance-qualified pilots was simply a matter of training on internal processes and a check ride.&nbsp;
Volato operates 17 HondaJets and has 24 more on order. At the time of its shutdown, Jet It had 21 HondaJets, but Liotta said his research indicated as many as 11 were being held in maintenance centers pending payment for services, and at least one had a lien attached for non-payment.
Further complicating matters, maintenance records relating to Jet It’s Honda fleet were believed to be in a locked office in Greensboro, North Carolina, from which Jet It had been evicted. Jet It had also stopped payments to Honda Aircraft for its factory aircraft and engine maintenance support program, making moving any of those airplanes risky. AIN reached out to a spokesman for Jet It over the weekend but did not receive a reply.&nbsp;
Volato had been in touch with Honda regarding maintenance program coverage for the Jet It aircraft, said Liotta,&nbsp;and have fashioned a solution to provide Jet It owners who opted to lease with Volato with maintenance protection. However, liberating aircraft held in maintenance pending payment will likely require outlays from aircraft owners and some of those outlays could be substantial as Jet It aircraft were enrolled in Honda’s P2 maintenance plan, which covered parts and not labor, as opposed to the P3 plan that covers both. Liotta said aircraft enrolled in P2 likely would be difficult to remarket.
Liotta added that from his experience, Jet It’s claims of deficient Honda product support were without merit and said that Volato’s experience with the OEM’s support at any given time has been very good. Jet It’s real problem, according to Liotta, is that it charged owners an hourly occupied rate substantially below the aircraft’s direct operating cost—less than half of what his company charges even before fuel is added into the equation.
“There’s a lot of talk in the market right now about struggling operators. People need to look at charges and see if they make sense and are reasonable. When something seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he concluded.

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

Volato Offers Lifeline to Jet It HondaJet Owners, Pilots

Volato is working to accommodate aircraft, pilots, and customers from shuttered fractional HondaJet provider Jet It.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Celebrity charter flight was deliberately filed as a private operation

Aircraft Owners Risk UK Bans for Flying Illegal Charters

Jet cards can be a step up in convenience over one-off charter bookings.

Flying Privately: What Is a Jet Card and How Do They Work?

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Sales agreement signed as German manufacturer seeks funding to avoid insolvency

French Helicopter Operator Signs For Volocopter's VoloCity eVTOL

Compared with full ownership, fractional requires a lot less responsibility for the owner.

Flying Privately: Discussing Fractional Aircraft Ownership with Flexjet's Mike Silvestro

Sarah Rose

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

More In Charter & Fractional

Aircraft Owners Risk UK Bans for Flying Illegal Charters

Celebrity charter flight was deliberately filed as a private operation

Flying Privately: What Is a Jet Card and How Do They Work?

Jet cards can be a step up in convenience over one-off charter bookings.

French Helicopter Operator Signs For Volocopter's VoloCity eVTOL

Sales agreement signed as German manufacturer seeks funding to avoid insolvency

Flying Privately: Discussing Fractional Aircraft Ownership with Flexjet's Mike Silvestro

Compared with full ownership, fractional requires a lot less responsibility for the owner.

West Star Aviation Expands MRO Facility in Chattanooga

Includes a new 40,000-sq-ft maintenance hangar

Air Charter Service Opens Doors in Italy

The opening marks the company’s 35th global office

VIP-Fly Expands Concierge Services to Manchester Airport

Premium lounges, optional chauffeur service also offered

AirSprint Welcomes 40th Aircraft to Canadian Fleet

New Embraer jet increases fractional ownership capacity

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN