CitationAir To Trim Fleet, Pilot Ranks

As CitationAir transitions from selling fractional shares to focusing on its Jet Card and Jet Management products, the company plans to “begin reducing its aircraft fleet as Jet Share contracts expire,” according to a statement that AIN obtained yesterday from company president and CEO William Schultz. “A corresponding number of pilots will be furloughed as aircraft are removed from the fleet, making way for new managed aircraft,” he added.

Teamsters Local Union 1108, which represents about 370 pilots at CitationAir and pilots at fractional-share provider Flight Options, announced on Tuesday that it terminated negotiations for a furlough letter of agreement with CitationAir. The company and pilot union have not yet negotiated an initial contract since the union was voted in eight months ago.

CitationAir has not announced how many pilots will be furloughed and when this will occur, but the company “is redirecting its efforts and working closely with Cessna Aircraft, our parent company, to support its primary objective of selling and supporting its popular line of business jets,” Schultz noted. This includes “exciting new programs, which will be announced later this year, [that] will offer added value to Cessna customers in a way that no other aircraft manufacturer can provide.”