Private aviation company Volato Group, which is the largest HondaJet operator in the U.S., has announced that the first of its HondaJet fleet—and the first HondaJet ever—is now equipped with a SmartSky Lite connectivity system.
“Volato is dedicated to exceeding customer expectations on every flight,” said Matt Liotta, CEO of Volato. “The addition of SmartSky’s next-generation in-flight connectivity is a direct response to customer feedback and underscores our commitment to delivering a superior in-flight experience. Early feedback indicates our passengers will be thrilled with the seamless connection and blazing-fast speeds.”
The SmartSky system will be installed in Volato's entire fleet of 26 HondaJets on a rolling basis. Volato also expects to add another eight to 10 HondaJets to its fleet by year-end.
The company’s latest quarterly report shows that flight hours increased by 39% and blended yield by 8% year-over-year in the three-month period. Volato also achieved a demand mix of 50% owner and 50% program/ad hoc charter.
Despite OEM aircraft delivery delays, the company said it achieved significant year-over-year growth in key metrics, including total flight hours and light jet market share by executing a strategy to optimize demand mix to achieve a higher blended yield and lower empty percentage. The first-quarter saw "strong blended yield performance," and the company told AIN that it anticipates continued year-over-year growth in the second quarter and beyond.