Lexington, Mass., February 12, 2007- Linear Air, the leading very light jet air-taxi operator, today announced certification from the French government to offer charter service in the Caribbean to the French West Indies, including the island of St. Bart’s. The company welcomes this latest certification with a group of new investors, including European private equity firm COFRA Group, following a closing of $2.5 million additional funding. Linear Air has raised a total of $6 million to fuel its plan to be among the first air-taxi operators to begin flying the Eclipse 500 VLJ later this year.
“With triple digit revenue growth, 2006 was a monumental year for Linear Air – and 2007 is shaping up to be even bigger. With the addition of the COFRA Group to the Linear Air family and certification to serve St. Bart’s, we are proving Linear Air is a true leader in the air-taxi market, one that has been formally recognized for both current operational achievements and expected future success with the VLJ’s,” says William Herp, President and CEO.
The St. Bart’s certification places Linear Air on a short list of U.S.-based operators with such a privilege. The certification expands the Linear Air Caribbean service area and offers travelers an affordable private air alternative to St. Bart’s, where the landscape demands a smaller aircraft due to mountainous terrain and shorter runways.
The Entrepreneurs Fund (EF) www.efbv.net, part of the COFRA Group based in The Netherlands, has chosen to add Linear Air to its portfolio of investments. The fund’s focus is to add support to businesses whose goal is to advance the development of innovative ideas and new markets. “We have thoroughly researched the companies in the emerging VLJ air-taxi market and, without a doubt, we feel that Linear Air’s business plan for the VLJ’s, supported by their executive team, makes them the most viable company for lasting success,” says EF spokesman, Klaas de Boer.
About Linear Air
Linear Air, based in Lexington, Mass., is a premier air-taxi service that is transforming the private air travel industry. Linear Air provides regional private air travel to executives and families with personalized customer service, flexibility and convenience at attractive fares.
The company operates the largest fleet of luxury Cessna Grand Caravan propjets in the U.S., with aircraft based at Hanscom Field outside Boston, Mass., Westchester CountyAirport in White Plains, New York and seasonally in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The company provides on-demand charter service to more than 500 cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S., eastern Canada and the Caribbean. On summer weekends, the company offers per-seat scheduled charter service to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket from the Teterboro Airport outside New York City. The revolutionary new Eclipse 500 very light jet will allow Linear Air to expand its existing propjet service to smaller markets within point-to-point 500-mile regional networks around major metropolitan areas.
Linear Air maintains a Gold safety rating from ARG/US, the leading independent safety auditor in the aviation industry. For more information about Linear Air or to book a flight, please visit www.LinearAir.com or call 781-860-9696 or 1-877-2-LINEAR.
