US’s NEAJETS to open FBO at Farmingdale, expand ops
By Vanja Popovic NEAJETS (NEW, Farmingdale) has received sole source approval to become a fixed-base operator (FBO) at its Farmingdale (Republic Airport) home base, executive vice president and general manager Peter Montemurro told ch-aviation in an exclusive interview. Maureen Mayer, senior vice president, added: “In addition to the FBO, our next area of growth will be the construction of a fourth hangar,” and NEAJETS is also looking to add several new aircraft to its fleet by the end of the year. “The company’s design for its fuel farm includes four tanks that will accommodate additional capacity for SAF [Sustainable Aviation Fuel] as it becomes more readily available,” Mayer highlighted. Montemurro noted that the industry has been experiencing a variety of changes, and NEAJETS’ goal is to continue meeting the evolving needs of the aircraft owners and charter clients it serves. The company is comprised of three integrated entities that complement each other: Northeastern Aviation Corp. (dba NEAJETS), an aircraft management and charter company; SMC Aviation, a Part 145 FAA-certified repair station; and Northeastern Air Management Corp., the leaseholder of the parcels of land that the companies occupy at Republic Airport in Farmingdale. The airport is owned by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). “NEAJETS is among the top 6.5% of all U.S. Part 135 operators that have earned the ARGUS Platinum rating for safety,” Mayer noted, adding that the company provides services for over 20 aircraft, including 15 Part 135 aircraft. According to FAA data, the 15 aircraft are one Gulfstream Aerospace G300, one G400, one G450, one Legacy 600, one Challenger 650, two G550s, four Hawker 900XPs, one G650, one Global 5000, and two Learjet 60s. Other aircraft are managed under Part 91. As Montemurro explained, “We work with owners based on their needs, providing a comprehensive range of services, from hangar space and rigorous maintenance services to complete charter management and securing pilots.” He pointed out that NEAJETS’ primary target is “an aircraft owner who seeks to utilize the plane for their own personal use, while offsetting a portion of their costs through charter.” Most of the company’s aircraft are based in Farmingdale, but there are six planes that are often in Teterboro and one that is often in Florida. “We don’t have buildings and complete operations in any other place like we do in Farmingdale, but owners move from different locations, and we support those movements,” he said. A solid charter market From the perspective of NEAJETS, the current charter market is strong and growing. As Mayer said, “We did have a somewhat softer third quarter due to some scheduled maintenance events, but we’re already seeing a robust fourth quarter. The pandemic, of course, brought charter to an abrupt halt, followed by an unprecedented surge in activity, but charter for us now is way above pre-pandemic levels.” NEAJETS started off over 45 years ago as a charter company with owned aircraft, sometimes flying bank documents, commercial aircraft parts, and organ transplant missions in its early years. It now focuses primarily on aircraft management and serving the charter community. “Charter revenue helps meet the desire of some owners to offset a portion of their costs, and it provides a revenue stream for Northeastern that we can control through our sales efforts, our strong reputation, and the quality of our service,” according to Montemurro. Charter availability for each aircraft is based on the needs of the owner and varies at NEAJETS from 100% to roughly 60%. In a typical month, an owner at NEAJETS will use the aircraft for around 100-150 hours, with 300-400 hours of charter. “An aircraft is a traveling office in many ways for our owners and charter customers,” Montemurro said, “so that they can seamlessly move between personal activity and business activity.” The most popular destinations NEAJETS flies to are in Florida (Miami Opa-Locka, West Palm BeachInternational, Sarasota/Bradenton, Boca Raton); the Caribbean (Nassau International, St. Maarten,Providenciales, Anguilla, San Juan Luis Muñoz Marin; Bermuda; California (Santa Ana, CA); Colorado(Aspen); Texas (Houston, Dallas, Austin); Atlanta Dekalb-Peachtree; Philadelphia International; NashvilleInternational; Indianapolis International; and Washington Dulles. Regarding international routes, Mayer said, “Worldwide, so far this year, we’ve flown to Argentina, Belgium, Canada, El Salvador, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.” She added that while most of the company’s clients are from the New York area, it also has clients nationwide. Discussing post-pandemic growth, Mayer stressed that Part 135 operations have particularly taken off.“ We continue to see charter clients booking much further in advance in order to secure an aircraft. In terms of market trends, many are technology-driven,” she noted. “There’s a major push now for booking apps and platforms to easily connect the retail customer and brokers directly with the operator in live time. We’ve had a number of business meetings recently with companies focused on this technology. It’s still early, but with the investment and consolidation we’re seeing, this emerging trend has a good chance of succeeding. We also see a trend toward further segmentation of the charter marketplace, with ‘by-the-seat charter’, ‘pet-focused’ charters (Bark Air), and one-way versus round-trip charters.” NEAJETS is satisfied with its Gulfstream operations and sees the aircraft as especially useful in itscharter business. “Our management focus is on heavy mids, heavy, and ultra long-range jets. Over the years, we’ve built notable expertise with Gulfstreams,” Mayer said, adding that several large-cabin aircraft should be joining the fleet in the coming months. Teterboro’s capacity as a change for Farmingdale Most of NEAJETS’ aircraft are based at the company’s facilities at Republic Airport; however, several planes are in Teterboro and other airports around the country. As Montemurro noted, “Owners move from different locations, and we support those movements.” From the perspective of NEAJETS, Republic Airport has a big opportunity to expand as Teterboro, NewYork City’s most popular business aviation hub, reaches capacity. “Farmingdale is our home base,” Mayersaid, “and I really believe we’re going to see more transition out east. It’s good for the industry, and it’s
ARGUS International Honors NEAJETS as a Platinum-Rated Operator for 16 Consecutive Years
ARGUS International, a member of the SGS group, honors Northeastern Aviation Corporation (dba NEAJETS) as an ARGUS Platinum Operator, which places them in the upper five percent of over 1,000 U.S. based charter operators. The Platinum Rating is a higher level in the ARGUS audit standard and is awarded only to those air charter operators who have demonstrated successful implementation of industry best safety practices regarding their operations and maintenance. Achieving ARGUS Platinum Rating is a testament to the aviation community that safety is NEAJETS’s top priority. The ARGUS Platinum Rating consists of an audit that takes an in-depth look into the quality of documented processes in addition to the strength of the safety management system implemented by the operator. Receiving a Platinum Rating means the operation was examined over several days by a team of on-site auditors and subsequently completed any corrective actions necessary to meet the standard. “NEAJETS has once again demonstrated their commitment to safety and operational excellence by successfully completing the rigorous ARGUS audit to earn their Platinum rating. NEAJETS is one of our longest-standing Platinum operators and we laud their conformance to internationally recognized industry best practices,” said by Patrick Chiles, ARGUS International Vice President Business Aviation. “We are proud to have received the ARGUS Platinum certification for the last 16 consecutive years. This certification reflects NEAJETS’s commitment to upholding the highest standards in the industry and serves as a testament to the passion and dedication of our team of aviation professionals,” said Peter Montemurro, EVP, General Manager, NEAJETS. The world’s most discerning clients have trusted NEAJETS since 1978. The company believes that integrity matters, and its track record of safety, service, and professionalism are second to none. NEAJETS’s diverse fleet can meet a range of business and personal travel needs by offering ultra-long- range, heavy, and mid-size solutions. With more than four decades of expertise, the company offers aircraft owners an exceptional aircraft management experience, and it has consistently earned the ARGUS Platinum certification since 2009. In addition, NEAJETS is an IS-BAO Stage 3 operator. ARGUS International, Inc, an SGS Company, founded in 1995, is the worldwide leader in specialized aviation audit services, regulatory support services, Safety Management System (SMS) software, and aviation tracking data. With a suite of solutions designed for servicing the Commercial Aviation, Business Aviation, and Rotorcraft Aviation sectors, globally, ARGUS ensures companies have the right tools to support their operational and business decision making. ARGUS experts bring decades of trusted industry experience to every audit, assessment, regulatory project, SMS solutions, and industry data analysis; experience you can count on whether you are just starting your operation, want to improve your operation, or selling / acquiring an operation. Our objective is to make sure you are equipped with the data, research, and knowledge you need to make the best decisions for your business. Visit www.ARGUS.aero to learn about the specific solutions you can leverage to improve, grow, and expand your business.