Atlanta, Georgia-headquartered fractional start up Volato is expanding to the US west coast with an operational base at Carlsbad's McClellan-Palomar airport in California.

The new base adds value to Volato's fractional ownership programme, as in addition to its established bases, owners will no longer need to pay repositioning fees when boarding their aircraft at an airport within two hours of Carlsbad's McClellan-Palomar.

"We are excited to expand to the west coast to bring Volato's services and category-leading customer experience to California," says co-founder and CRO Nicholas Cooper. "The Carlsbad base is conveniently located for us to be able to pick up our owners from anywhere they choose on the west coast. Given the speed, efficiency and luxury of the HondaJet, Volato is perfectly suited for their west coast missions.

Volato is also to sponsor Carlsbad local and LPGA Tour golfer Alana Uriell, who picked up her first clubs at the age of eight and has been dedicated to the sport ever since. She joined the LPGA Tour in 2019 and has participated annually.

"We are proud to support the local community and announce Volato's sponsorship of Alana Uriell. We look forward to introducing our west coast owners to this upcoming talent and following her success," adds Cooper.

Through both its fractional ownership and charter programme, Volato can now more readily service hotspots such as Seattle to the north, Cabo San Lucas to the south and Marfa in Texas to the East, not to mention major executive hubs such as Napa County in California, Scottsdale in Arizona , Las Vegas , Denver, Aspen and Salt Lake City.

Volato has six HondaJets in its fleet with 18 more on order, and is currently selling shares in its fractional HondaJet programme. The company is now hiring pilots in southern California.

This move follows Volato's recent acquisition of Gulf Coast Aviation, an aircraft management and charter company based at Atlantic Aviation’s FBO at William P Hobby airport in Houston, and advances the company's objective of having a network of bases across the US.