OneJet (Pittsburgh International) suspended all flights on August 29 and closed forward bookings. The carrier said in a statement that it expected to relaunch flights within eight weeks as a fully Part 135-compliant on-demand charter operator.
"During this transition, we will be suspending scheduled services on current routes. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused by this disruption; the result of this transition will be a more robust and reliable operation for our customers from the fourth quarter forward. We presently expect inventory to re-open for sale beginning October 1 and will make additional information available at that time," it said.
As of August 29, the carrier operated services out of Pittsburgh International to each of Hartford Bradley and Indianapolis International, as well as out of Buffalo Niagara International to each of Albany, NY and Raleigh/Durham. All flights were onboard Do328-300s chartered from Ultimate Jetcharters (Akron Regional).
OneJet earlier planned to acquire Ultimate Jetcharters. The transaction ultimately fell through after the carrier reportedly did not have enough cash.
The airline is currently grappling with a lawsuit filed by Pittsburgh Allegheny County Airport Authority for the return of at least USD763,000 in grants given to the airline for routes which were either never launched or suspended over the last few months. The carrier received a total of USD3 million in financial aids in 2017 to establish a base at Pittsburgh, including a USD1 million grant from the airport and USD2 million in loans from the state and the county governments.
In return, OneJet promised to base aircraft out of Pittsburgh and launch 10 routes out of the airport. Most of them were cancelled earlier this year, while others were never launched.
OneJet was also recently hit by a federal tax lien for USD621,556, Pittsburgh Business Times reported.
Albany airport authority said it is now evaluating whether it could seek to recover its support granted to the airline. OneJet was offered two-year rent vacation on terminal space in Albany, Times Union has reported.
