Flexjet has announced that its pilots and flight crews will no longer rely on commercial airlines to travel to or from flight assignments but instead on the company's private fleet. This unprecedented method of crew transport has been put in place to protect the health and safety of Flexjet owners and flight crews during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“Historically, flight crews in both commercial and private aviation regularly have used commercial airlines to travel from their home base to reunite with their aircraft for their flight assignment,” says Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci. “But, given the threat posed by the novel coronavirus and the illness COVID-19, we felt it was in the best interests of our owners and flight crews to take this risk out of the equation and transport our flight crews on our own aircraft, which have been treated with MicroShield 360, a protective coating that kills 99.99 per cent of pathogens.”

Taking its pilots and flight crews off of commercial airline carriers also enables Flexjet to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations that groups be limited to no more than 10 people for the next few weeks. Flexjet is implementing this effort, internally named Project Lift, for all US domestic flights as well as internationally bound flights still permitted by the US and other governments.

Every business is finding ways to provide safe working environments for employees and customers, and the private jet industry is no different. Ricci has long been an innovator in private aviation, and this move comes just as Flexjet has completed treating its fleet interiors with MicroShield 360. As seen with other industries, competitors are coming together to find innovative solutions to navigate this unique environment. Ricci has committed to assisting any competitors in the private aviation industry who need help designing safety measures for their organisations.

“This change in our business model reinforces two of our three guiding principles, namely that employees are the foundation of a service company and that we are taking a long-term approach to relationships,” adds CEO Michael Silvestro. “While there is no regulatory obligation demanding we make this move, we believe it is the most prudent decision based on the information available today.”

In order to implement the programme, Flexjet pilots and flight crews will drive to one of seven strategically located hubs around the country, where they will be ferried aboard a controlled and select group of Flexjet aircraft to reunite with their flight assignments. Through careful scheduling, using Flexjet's proprietary software and extension of tour lengths, the new shuttle system will remove flight crews from the commercial airlines with minimal disruption.

“Decisions about safety can never be made based on their impact on the bottom line,” explains Ricci. “There's no doubt that this will have a cost impact on Flexjet, but it's the right thing to do for our employees and it's the right thing to do for our owners as we move ahead through this global crisis.”