Addition of Connecticut Based Bombardier Global Express Bolsters East Coast Managed Fleet

SAN FRANCISCO –

One of Solairus Aviation’s six newest aircraft additions, the Connecticut based Bombardier Global Express, is capable of intercontinental flights and further strengthens the company’s East Coast presence.

For Solairus Aviation President John King, the recent fleet additions are the result of careful planning that will benefit all Solairus clients.

“It is especially important that we expand our East Coast aircraft charter and aircraft management business units,” King explained. “After considerable success in other areas of the country, the East Coast represents an exciting opportunity for our company’s continued market growth. With the addition of the Connecticut Global Express, we now have a stronger North East presence that we can utilize to leverage even more vendor savings for all of our clients.”

“Our aircraft management goals have always been designed to match aggressive growth initiatives, while simultaneously maintaining the highest levels of safety and customer service,” King continued. “We have the infrastructure and workforce in place to ensure that our growth will always be focused on quality, not just quantity.”

About Solairus Aviation

Solairus is a full-service private aircraft management and charter company that provides clients with expertise in acquiring and operating a wide range of private aircraft.

With a fleet of nearly 50 managed aircraft, Solairus is one of only 71 Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operators in the world. After completion of an intense operations, maintenance, and safety systems audit by accredited industry experts, the ARG/US Platinum rating is only awarded to those operators who have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus Aviation has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified aviation company.

For more information, visit www.solairusaviation.com.

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Solairus media contact:
Eric Wildt
707-775-2788
ewildt@solairusaviation.com

Unprecedented Growth for Solairus Aviation

Six large-cabin fleet additions in the past 30 days

SAN FRANCISCO – In just 30 days, Solairus has added a Florida based Gulfstream G550 to its charter fleet and has taken delivery of a California based Bombardier Challenger 601-3R, which will also be added upon completion of its conformity inspection. Additionally, the company’s Part 91 management business unit has grown almost 20 percent, with recent additions including a Northeast based Bombardier Global Express, a San Francisco Bay Area based Dassault Falcon 900, an additional Bay Area Challenger 601 and a Northwest based Challenger 605.

In response to Solairus Aviation’s fleet expansion, the company’s flight coordination and client service capabilities have increased substantially and overall headcount has surpassed 200 employees.

Solairus Aviation Vice Chairman Jake Cartwright sees the recent additions as an indication that the company’s primary commitments are well received.

“Everything we do here is guided by uncompromising safety, superior service and outstanding fleet economies of scale,” Cartwright explained. “The marketplace is recognizing the value of our business model, and we are being rewarded with significant increases in both our charter and fleet management businesses.”

Solairus Aviation CEO Dan Drohan attributes the company’s recent success to the talents and efforts of the Solairus team.

“The atmosphere at Solairus is extremely vibrant right now,” Drohan exclaimed. “The recent fleet additions demonstrate the abilities of the remarkable team we have in place. We have set ambitious goals for ourselves and to see the results of our hard work come to fruition is very exciting for everyone. These developments will provide the stepping stones needed to accomplish the company’s future objectives and I’m looking forward to working with everyone towards those achievements.”

About Solairus Aviation:

Solairus is a full-service aviation asset management company that provides clients with expertise in acquiring and operating a wide range of private aircraft.

With a fleet of nearly 50 managed aircraft, Solairus is one of only 71 Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operators in the world. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating is awarded to those who have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company.

www.solairusaviation.com

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Solairus media contact:
Eric Wildt
707-775-2788
ewildt@solairusaviation.com

Solairus Aviation Expands East Coast Operations

Florida Based Gulfstream G550 Joins Company’s Growing Charter Fleet

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 8, 2010) – After recently celebrating the company’s first year in business, Solairus Aviation is proud to announce the addition of a second Gulfstream G550 large-cabin, ultra-long range business jet to its charter fleet. The G550 joins Solairus’s existing fleet of Falcon and Hawker aircraft in Florida.

“This is the second Gulfstream G550 to join our charter certificate in the last nine months – I am very proud of our team and everyone who made this happen,” said Solairus’ VP of Business Development, Craig Zirzow. “The East Coast is a major area of focus for us right now. With one G550 based in San Francisco, and the other in Florida, we can now offer our clients even more flexibility and convenience when planning their long range trips.”

Capable of over 12 hours of flight time, the Gulfstream G550 enjoys worldwide capability with seating for up to 14 passengers. Luxurious interiors, a dedicated cabin attendant, an enhanced DVD entertainment system, and Solairus Aviation’s Client Services team ensure that all passenger expectations are not just met, but exceeded.

This beautiful G550, as well as other exceptional aircraft in Solairus’ 20+ strong fleet of charter aircraft, is immediately available. For more information, please visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861 today to discuss your travel plans and explore what private air charter can do for you.

About Solairus Aviation

Solairus is a full-service private aircraft management and charter company that provides clients with expertise in acquiring and operating a wide range of private aircraft.

With a fleet of over 45 managed aircraft, Solairus is one of only 71 Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operators in the world. After completion of an intense operations, maintenance, and safety systems audit by accredited industry experts, the ARG/US Platinum rating is only awarded to those operators who have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus Aviation has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified aviation company.  

For more information, visit www.solairusaviation.com.

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Solairus media contact:
Eric Wildt
707-775-2788
ewildt@solairusaviation.com

Solairus Aviation marked the completion of its first year in business at the beginning of this month, following an exciting year of building the necessary infrastructure, certifications and accreditation needed to manage a top-tier, world-class operator of business aircraft.

In less than a year, Solairus obtained FAR Part 135 certification, achieved ARG/US Platinum status, earned “10 or more” seating/large cabin authority and worldwide operations specifications and finally, in January of this year, received IS-BAO certification.

“We knew that the biggest challenge in starting Solairus was not just in launching a new venture in this economy, but building a new organization with a new culture – and making sure that we had all the important components that need to be in place to be a competitor in this industry, in a very short period of time” said Solairus’ CEO Dan Drohan. “More than anything, we recognized that we absolutely had to have the right people in place; that was everything. And that team has done an incredible job in the last year. They’ve absolutely turned lemons into lemonade and I am very proud of them.”

The company’s fleet continues to grow, now numbering 42 aircraft under management, ranging from King Airs and Citations to Gulfstream and Global Express aircraft. The aircraft are based in more than a dozen states throughout the US. The fleet additions are the result of existing relationships held by the management team, as well as a concerted fleet development effort, which the company intends to step up in 2010.

“New buyers of aircraft are normally the people most interested in professional management, and as the market picks up we are seeing more opportunities to present our services to new owners” said Solairus’ Vice Chairman Jake Cartwright “At the same time, the effort we have made to gain brand recognition of the company on a national level, both within the industry and with current aircraft owners, is paying off. We have an ambitious, but attainable, fleet growth plan for 2010, so we are cautiously optimistic in our outlook right now.” 

Solairus Aviation continued its aggressive charter sales expansion with the addition of Colleen McCauley to its national sales team. McCauley brings more than a decade of successful charter sales and management experience to Solairus, most recently as principal in her own business jet charter brokerage firm. Her addition to the Solairus team as Charter Sales Account Executive is the result of a successful long-term relationship with the company as an independent broker.

“Colleen has extensive large cabin charter expertise with a national clientele,” said Craig Zirzow, Solairus Vice President of Business Development, “We have exceptional mid and large cabin aircraft in our fleet, with excellent charter availability, giving Colleen an outstanding platform from which to work. Her proven charter sales abilities will help deliver third party revenue to our aircraft management clients throughout the US.”

McCauley began her charter sales and management career with Universal Jet in 1998, after an extensive career in restaurant management. Prior to operating her own charter brokerage from 2004 through 2009, she served as Director of Flight Operations and Charter Sales for Oakland-based CityAir. McCauley will be based in the San Francisco Bay area.

Growing Private Aviation Management Firm Achieves International Recognition 

Solairus Aviation today became the first business jet charter company in 2010 to secure the highly respected International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) certification, marking the latest in a series of milestone achievements by this leading business aircraft management charter company. Solairus is only the 33 air charter operator in the US to achieve full IS-BAO certification.

The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) introduced the IS-BAO program in 2002 as an industry code of practice to foster standardized, safe and highly professional aircraft operations. Today IS-BAO is recognized by aviation authorities worldwide as the highest standard for safety, security and efficiency in business aircraft operations. The program provides a quality management approach to analyzing, controlling and mitigating risk via performance based-standards and guidance protocols for the operator’s Safety Management System (SMS), including management structure, training programs, operating procedures, and manuals.

“IS-BAO certification is a fitting capstone to a remarkable first year for Solairus,” said CEO Dan Drohan. “Since March of 2009 we have grown to a fleet of more than 40 business turbine aircraft nationwide, earned our ARG/US Platinum rating and obtained international operations approval for large aircraft carrying 10 or more passengers. Our successful IS-BAO audit demonstrates Solairus’ uncompromising commitment to safety and the fundamental quality of the team we have in place at the company. Solairus’ IS-BAO audit ensures that our management and charter clients will have safe and uninterrupted access to airports the world over.”

IS-BAO certification requires a complete third-party audit by an IBAC accredited auditor. Solairus selected Aviation Research Group/US (ARG/US), one of the leaders in aviation safety auditing. “The IS-BAO standard mandates that safety will not be compromised under any circumstances,” said ARG/US president Joe Moeggenberg, “which is why ARG/US sends a team of trained and accredited operations and maintenance experts, rather than a single auditor, to meticulously review IS-BAO candidates. We thoroughly examined all Solairus’ safety and operational practices, and found that it met or exceeded all standards set by IBAC as well as ICAO. “In fact,” Moeggenberg added, “they did so with zero discrepancies – a first in ARG/US’ extensive IS-BAO audit experience.”

Comparable to ISO-9000, IS-BAO is the result of collaboration between the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and aviation organizations like the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) throughout the world. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN), the official standards-setting organization within Europe, is expected to grant IS-BAO official European recognition as, “Business Aircraft Operations - Code of practice for the management of commercial (charter) operations with complex motor-powered aircraft.” 

“Safety is the single most important operating rule for IS-BAO-certified business aircraft operators,” said Jake Cartwright, Solairus Vice Chairman, “which aligns perfectly with our three primary commitments to our clients – uncompromising safety, superior service and outstanding fleet economies of scale – and always in that order.”

The IS-BAO Certificate of Registration is valid for two years.

Private Aviation Firm Launches 2010 Effort to Help Meet CAN Funding Needs 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 5, 2010) -  Solairus Aviation today announced the launching of a program to help fund Corporate Angel Network’s (CAN) continued efforts to provide cancer patients with free flights for treatment aboard corporate aircraft.

Solairus will support Corporate Angel Network with a cash contribution equal to 1% of the first year’s management fees for each new aircraft management client it signs up in 2010. The more the Solairus fleet grows, the more funding CAN receives, with no limit to the contributions.

Corporate Angel Network transports between 200 and 250 cancer patients per month using empty seats on participating corporate and fractional aircraft, typically with owners and executives traveling on routine business but also on empty legs. CAN has arranged more than 30,0000 flights since its founding, and has received numerous awards in recognition of its service to cancer patients – including The Volunteer Action Award, the highest volunteer award from the President of the United States.

“CAN needs more lift capacity to help additional patients, but it also needs financial support. Solairus wants to help with both,” said Dan Drohan, Solairus’ Chief Executive Officer. “Just as business jets run on Jet-A, CAN’s Operations Center runs on cash.” Grants and contributions enable CAN’s team of 50 volunteers and 5 paid staff to schedule and coordinate the medical travel needs of cancer patients, so they can travel for critical treatment that may otherwise be unavailable.

“The Solairus team wants to put our support where our heart is,” Drohan continued, “and we’re pledging to help pay for CAN’s efforts to transport cancer patients.” Solairus added 40 aircraft to its fleet in 2009’s down economy and the company expects equally impressive growth for 2010, and that bodes well for CAN as business aviation recovers.

“Cancer is a fact of life, one that touches us all,” stated Peter Fleiss, CAN’s Executive Director. “Our mission is to help cancer patients receive the best possible treatment by using empty seats on corporate jets to transport patients to treatment centers around the country. Solairus’ 2010 Challenge will help us meet our funding needs, and enable us to fly more patients for treatment.”

2010 marks CAN’s 29th year of operation, during which their fleet of more than 500 participating corporations will fly their 35,000th cancer patient to treatment. But with all its success, CAN needs ongoing support, in funding as well as aircraft, to increase its capacity to transport the thousands of additional cancer patients who need assistance.

Solairus became a Corporate Angel Network supporter in October during the 62nd National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting and Convention, and accounted for nearly 10% of the funds raised for CAN as a successful bidder during the NBAA/CAN Charity Benefit Auction attended by industry leaders and business aircraft owners and operators.

“We recognize the need for companies to do more, particularly in this economy. Non-profits are suffering” Drohan said. “The work that CAN does is near and dear to us at Solairus and we want to support their incredible efforts. We challenge our industry peers to do the same, on behalf of cancer patients throughout the US.”