Wyoming group interested in Lynx Aviation
Perhaps taking a cue from Republic Airways Holdings' first quarter conference call, during which management said it wants to sell Lynx Aviation either in part or in whole, a group of former airline executives announced they were interested in buying the subsidiary of Frontier Airlines, which was set to shut down in autumn.
During its conference call, Republic said it has been discussing the sale of Lynx. The company is open to discussions with qualified buyers for either the entity or the aircraft, spokesperson Carlo Bertolini told CAPA. "We have held discussions with several interested parties and cannot speculate about how this process will work out," he said.
The executives include Bill Beal, former COO of failed ATA Airlines who was a Western pilot; Nick Wangler, who hails from Great Lakes Airlines and is a former executive with now-defunct Sun Country Airlines; and Steven Westberg, formerly of Midway and Continental. The three want to start 'Fly Smart' to provide service to Denver from Sheridan, Cody, Riverton, Laramie and Casper, WY, which are now served by Great Lakes and United Express to Denver. Delta Connection SkyWest serves Casper-Salt Lake.
It is not clear whether Fly Smart backers will take the aircraft since only one of the three has any regional airline experience.