Asia to get air taxi service for high-fliers
KUALA LUMPUR – Singapore-based Smart Air Ltd plans to start a luxury air taxi service in South-East Asia by the first quarter of next year.
Chief executive James Corden-Lloyd said the company with initial investment of US$20 million was in the process of acquiring a new jet plane to be based at Kuala Lumpur’s Subang airport.
It also planned to have two additional aircraft, one each based at secondary airports in Vietnam and Indonesia.
“We are targeting the growing affluent Asian society, like very successful executives, employers and others,” he said.
Smart Air is part of ALATS, an international group involved in the aerospace, defence, high-end security, media, sports, transportation and private banking businesses.
Corden-Lloyd said Smart Air planned to offer short and medium haul air taxi services within a radius of 600 miles in the region.
The company, he said, was still working out the charges – to be based either on per seat or on demand basis – with the business model based on same services offered in the United States.
“We will be the first company to offer luxury air taxi services in the Asia region,” Corden-Lloyd said, adding the company also planned to provide luxury ground transportation services such as limousine service to complement the air taxi services.
Ian Jarrett
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