Privately owned FlyExclusive is in growth mode—from expanding its fleet to adding in-house maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities. It is investing about $100 million just this year in its business.
That includes $80 million for aircraft and $19 million in new MRO facilities.
It already operates 78 Cessna Citations and 7 Gulfstream GIVSPs, but it plans to add 17 more Citations and three more Gulfstreams yet this year, says FlyExclusive founder Jim Segrave.
The charter company is refurbishing its fleet so that all will have matching paint schemes and interior designs, to present the same look and feel for customers—no matter which aircraft they fly.
To facilitate this, it has opened a new 24,000-ft.2 electrostatic and painting facility at its Kinston, North Carolina, headquarters and it plans to open an additional 45,000- ft.2 interiors and maintenance facility in 2022.
The charter company is in the process of adding 100 mechanics to its existing 75 by the end of the year, as well as 80 more pilots—90% of new-hire pilots are referred by its existing flying staff, says Segrave.
Adding staff is a key part of its growth because, “98.5% of our flights for partners and club members are flown on our fleet, by our pilots—and are maintained by our mechanics,” which is a big differentiator of its business, says Segrave.
FlyExclusive also made changes to its Jet Card membership, which now includes an aircraft daily rate and hourly rate component to make customers feel more like aircraft owners, he says. A new concierge FlyExclusive app, launched on Oct. 11, is designed to make it easier for members to book and manage flights, as well.
