Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) has announced it has acquired a "minority" stake in California based JetSuite (Santa Ana, CA) for an undisclosed sum. The carrier said in a statement it had joined existing shareholder JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK), which will be increasing its investment, and a number of private investors as stakeholders in both JetSuite and its JetSuiteX Air (Rapid City Regional) scheduled jet service.
"With this investment in JetSuite, Inc., Qatar Airways will help fuel the growth of JetSuite's private aviation business, which currently focuses on light and very light jets," it said. "The investment extends to JetSuiteX, the sibling company to JetSuite, further accelerating the expansion of its acclaimed semi-private air service on the US West Coast and beyond."
JetSuite X offers regular flights between major West Coast cities including Burbank, Concord, CA, Oakland International, San José, US, Palm Springs Jacqueline Cochran Regional, and Las Vegas Harry Reid. It also offers seasonal flights to Mammoth Lakes. E135 flights are operated by JetSuiteX Air, while those undertaken with E500 and Cessna 525 CJ3 flights are operated by JetSuite Air.
Qatar Airways said its investment will enable JetSuite to accelerate the expansion of this fleet and the ability to reach new destinations, including the potential to bring the semi-private model to additional US regions.
JetSuite CEO Alex Wilcox has since told Bloomberg that his firm will add two jets to its fleet by July, with plans to expand to 100 Embraers by 2023 or so. In addition, JetSuite will also be moving some of its offices in Irvine, California, to Dallas/Fort Worth as the Texan metropolis offers lower costs and greater aviation infrastructure.
