Defunct operator Falcon Air Express has been acquired by Nelson Ramiz, whose family owns former Falcon customer Aeropostal of Venezuela.
Speaking to Air Transport Intelligence (ATI), Ramiz says he bought the failed charter airline out of bankruptcy for $3 million on June 9, after deals with two other buyers, Icon International Holdings and SkyValue Airlines, fell through.
Falcon had a single leased Boeing MD-80 when Ramiz bought the company. Since then, Ramiz has leased another MD-80.
He says his new airline – which will be called ufly Airways – could be operating by the end of this month. It will operate a fleet of seven aircraft in 14 months and upgrade to another aircraft type in 2009.
The operation will be combined with Destinations Worldwide, a travel company owned by Ramiz’s wife, to offer vacation packages from Miami to Aruba, Colombia, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.
Ramiz is also interested in creating a charter business to serve Cuba, as well as in wet-leasing aircraft and crew to other Latin American carriers. Sometime next year, he says, he will investigate cargo flights to the Caribbean and South American destinations.
Falcon filed for Chapter 11 protection in May 2006. Ramiz says Aeropostal remained Falcon’s only customer – for wet-lease services between Miami and Venezuela - until Falcon filed for bankruptcy. As such, he says, he was kept informed about Falcon’s status with the other buyers.
He says his initial offer to buy Falcon was rejected in favour of Icon’s, but when that deal fell apart, he went back to Falcon and the bankruptcy judge to make another offer.
Icon could not be reached for comment.
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Source: FlightGlobal.com
