CHICOPEE - Pogo Jet Inc. continues to move toward its goal of introducing a charter jet service at Westover Metropolitan Airport.
The company filed a registration statement for an initial public offering of stock with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in September. Cameron R. Burr, executive vice president for corporate development at Pogo, said yesterday he could not comment on Pogo's plans because the Securities and Exchange Commission does not allow it during this point in the registration process.
The company plans on a public offering of stock to raise money to purchase the jets. Pogo's Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission says the company plans to inaugurate service in the first quarter of 2009 and operate 25 "very light jets" by the end of 2009 and add 75 more by the end of 2011.
The company plans to use newly manufactured Eclipse 500 aircraft that have recently been certified by the federal Aviation Commission. The new jets are fuel-efficient and carry four to six passengers.
"Pogo Jet Inc. intends to be a leading provider of private on-demand jet charter service, initially in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley and Carolinas," the Form S-1 reads.
The company has established its base at Westover Metropolitan Airport. "This location provides us with convenient access to our target service market and a deep pool of skilled aviation personnel," the form reads.
Originally, Pogo was supposed to start offering on-demand private charter service out of Westover in 2006, then announced earlier this year flights were expected to begin in the summer of 2008. The company's Web site said it plans to fly out of 400 underutilized small airports.
Westover Metropolitan Airport is owned by Westover Metropolitan Development Corp. Allan W. Blair, chief executive officer and president of the corporation, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The discount passenger carrier Skybus Airlines debuted its daily evening flights to Columbus, Ohio, from Westover in July. It marked the first regular passenger service at the airport in about two decades. The A319 jets used by Skybus seat about 150 people.
Columbus-based Skybus is averaging about 100 inbound and outbound passengers daily at Westover and hopes to add a morning flight.
Asked to comment on Pogo's intent to offer a charter jet service at Westover, Skybus spokesman Robert Tenenbaum said, "We think anything that helps the airports we're operating out of is a good thing."
