Charter and aircraft management firm Omni Air Transport has opened a new satellite base in Oklahoma City and plans to offer maintenance services to owners and operators outside the charter and managed aircraft it operates. Company president Chris Deslongchamp told AIN the decision to expand its maintenance operation comes after 37 years of maintaining its charter and managed aircraft in-house. Nearly all of the twinjets the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company operates are Learjets and over the years its technicians have developed an expertise in that type, with its current director of maintenance serving on the Learjet advisory council for maintenance.
“It’s just a natural progression,” Deslongchamp said of the maintenance expansion, adding that Omni has been repeatedly asked for referrals on Learjet maintenance from owners and operators outside the company. “We are the experts at it, [so] why don’t we start providing this service?"
Omni’s managed fleet comprises 11 aircraft, nine of which are available for charter and include the Learjet 40, 45, 60, and 75, as well as a Beechcraft King Air 350i. Those are the models it will initially offer outside maintenance services for, Deslongchamp said. But it will seek to add other types as the 50-employee company expands its maintenance and charter business, the latter of which is also growing with its Oklahoma City base at Sundance Airport.
That base will be served by a Cessna Citation XLS+ that will be added to Omni’s managed fleet. Besides Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Omni operates bases in Dallas and Houston, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.