Story ID: 
Volato Begins Equipping Its HondaJets with SmartSky
By: Sarah Rose
Caption: Volato has a total fleet of 26 HondaJets
Word Count: 236
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.