Jota Aviation expands management team Leases new hangar at London Southend Airport

Jota Aviation announced yesterday the appointment of Kevin Callan as Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately.  Kevin brings three decades of aviation experience and joins Jota’s senior management team from global business aviation company Gama Aviation Plc where he was Group Chief Commercial Officer.  He was previously Board member and Chief Financial Officer of Hangar8 Plc, and had been instrumental in pulling together the merger with Gama in January 2015.  “We are delighted to have enticed Kevin to return to his roots and help us implement our expansion plans from our London Southend Airport home,” commented Jota Aviation’s Chief Executive Officer Andy Green. 

Kevin originally supported Flightline, a BAe 146 operator at Southend from 1993 for 16 years. “It has changed dramatically since I was last here, with considerable investment and an airport management team that firmly appreciates the business charter model,” Kevin said.  “Jota has achieved a lot in its first six years. They are energetic and swift to respond to market opportunities and I am looking forward to taking them to the next level.”

Jota Aviation is currently finalising the lease of a 23,000 sq ft hangar facility which will be ready in July.  It intends to house its own spares for its BAe 146/Avro RJ aircraft and create the future opportunity to establish its own Part 145 line maintenance for its own fleet. Heavy maintenance on the regional jets would continue to be outsourced and is currently handled by MRO partner Avalon Aero at Cranfield.

Additional BAe 146/Avro RJ aircraft being sought

Jota is also exploring the market to acquire or lease the freighter variant BAe 146QT, as well as further Avro RJs, and will be actively recruiting more type rated pilots and cabin crew so it can increase passenger and freight flying, in response to demand.  “It is pleasing that we are exceeding more hours than expected with Avro RJ G-JOTR, with charter work and sub-contract work to regional airlines,” said Andy Green. “We are in a niche market with this versatile and popular aircraft as there are very few 146/RJs available for ACMI charter in Europe now.” The fully refurbished Avro RJ85 95-seater purchased from Falko Aviation, entered revenue service in April.  Recent flying has included periods with British Airways CityFlyer and Ireland’s CityJet.  

Jota’s Avro RJ85 and BAe 146-200 are complemented by a fleet of Beechcraft King Air turboprops all offered for charter, one of which G-JOTA is a dedicated cargo aircraft with a large cargo door, and it is upon this heritage that Jota believes the 146QT freight aircraft will be a natural progression and development.