Omni Air Transport, a close to 40-year veteran of aircraft management and private charter, has added a Socata TBM 850 into its management programme. The aircraft is strictly for the use of its owner and will not be available to charter.

“We're excited to bring on another aircraft,” says president and CEO Mike Skow. “As we grow our fleet and operations, we continue to look for ways to further improve our clients’ experience. With the addition of this aircraft, we are able to be an all-in-one shop for our client through our management programme.”

Omni Air Transport's aircraft management programme provides a way for aircraft owners to optimise their ownership, travel and investment, providing more value from their investment.

The company was founded in 1983 and is centrally based in Tulsa, Oklahoma with satellite bases across the US. Its commitment to safety is evidenced by its highly experienced team and it is recognised among the top one per cent of its peers for safety with accreditations including: Argus Platinum, Wyvern Wingman, IS-BAO Stage III and Department of Defense Preferred Charter Operator status. Its modern fleet with pristine cabins and 24/7 concierge service are important sales advantages.

President and CEO Mike Skow comments: “2021 has been better than expected. Nobody was really sure how charter activity would recover after the impact of the pandemic. We were pleasantly surprised to see charter activity come back as strong as it did. That wave has continued into 2021 and I don’t expect it to slow down any time soon.”

Omni's current fleet is made up of Learjet 40, 45, 75 and 60s, King Air 350i, Citation XLS+ and Challenger 604. “All the planes we offer for charter are popular,” states Skow. “The charter market is so hot right now that any aircraft that is available for charter will be used. A very important factor to getting through the pandemic has been keeping our employees safe. Our folks travel all over the US, into and out of COVID hot spots which are frequently changing. We hold a daily company meeting with a specific focus on the COVID environment that our employees will be travelling to for the next seven days and then apply mitigating actions to keep our people safe.

“My hope for the remainder of the year is that the pandemic trends towards completion. We are ready to have this completely behind us and as close to normal as can be.”

VP of sales Anthony Ethridge adds: “The continued induced fear of COVID and all that comes along with it has sent folks stampeding into the private aviation world. There is not enough water for all to drink and you can see this across every sector of the business. It has placed the entire industry in a position of answering this question with a resounding ‘better’ when it comes to growth and opportunity, however because of the economic impact many may answer now that it is ‘worse’ than expected. The unexpected toll it has had on many private aviation service and support companies’ ability to perform in a timely manner, and the demand for inventory has us all in a mode of understanding what direction the industry is headed.

“We intend to double down and not let the noise keep us from staying true to our culture and values that our clients have come to expect.”