US aircraft management and charter operator Keystone Aviation is to expand its MRO capabilities and relocate its administrative offices. The efforts to grow its operations and enhance its facilities is supported by its recent acquisition by Elevate Holdings, which also owns Private Jet Services and Elevate Jet. Elevate provided an injection of resources and organisational expertise to fuel expansion and has earmarked additional capital to invest in Keystone Aviation's MRO chain.

“Together, Elevate Holdings and Keystone Aviation are focused on growing our executive fleet nationwide and developing a robust customer-centric aircraft maintenance organisation,” says Elevate CEO Greg Raiff. “The next six to 12 months will set the stage for long term, sustainable growth while increasing our current ability to deliver maximum value to our customers.”

Organisational changes designed to align personnel strengths with areas of expertise will accompany the MRO expansion initiative. Elevate senior vice president of maintenance strategy Jim Slack will become president of a designated new MRO entity and manage Keystone's Part 145 repair stations in Salt Lake City, Utah and Scottsdale, Arizona. Slack has 35 years of aircraft maintenance experience with an emphasis on repair station development and operations.

Vice president of aircraft maintenance Bill Hoddenbach will continue as Keystone's Part 135 DOM, with Jimmy Ray remaining as the chief inspector. Keystone Aviation's Part 135 certificate will be managed and operated independently by Keystone president Aaron Fish.

“We intend to spearhead growth through excellence in maintenance and customer service, and these expansion plans are representative of that intent,” says Slack. “Elevate and Keystone share a commitment to quality, safety and customer service, and we believe these investments in our joint MRO capabilities are a pathway to success in a competitive marketplace.”

Beyond this current expansion, an additional MRO location has already been identified and will be funded by Elevate Holdings capital. Building up maintenance and repair organisational capabilities has been a cornerstone of Elevate's growth strategy.

“This transition positions us to compete more effectively in the US private aviation market,” adds Slack. “We look forward to adding more capacity and creating better experiences for our customers.”