XTRA Airways (Fort Lauderdale International) has denied claims made by Air Florida (St. Petersburg/Clearwater) that it will operate B737-400s for and on behalf of the start-up on its launch later next year. According to FlightGlobal, the Idaho-based charter specialist said 'it has no plans to begin flights' for Air Florida.
“That’s not correct,” he says of the website’s claim. “We’ve ordered them to remove any references to us from their website. Their doing so was totally inappropriate.”
The Air Florida site claims to have reached an agreement-in-principle with Xtra Airways for the provision of multiple B737-400 aircraft (and crews) on an ACMI lease basis. The aircraft would be used on flights to cities in Florida such as Tampa International, Sarasota/Bradenton, Fort Lauderdale International and Daytona Beach International.
In addition to the B737s, the website says Air Florida has also held discussions to lease E120 turboprops and one MD-11 for further flights to Washington Dulles, Pittsburgh International, St. Louis Lambert International, Nashville International, Albany, NY, Buffalo Niagara International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Los Angeles International, and San Juan Luis Muñoz Marin.
The original Air Florida (1971) was a budget carrier that folded in 1985 following the devastating crash of Flight 90 in 1982 which claimed the lives of 74 of the 79 passengers and crew on-board.
