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Guernsey-based Waves has officially placed an order for its first aircraft.
The announcement was made jointly by Waves Technologies Limited and Textron Aviation Inc. at the European Aviation Convention and Exhibition, which is Europe’s premier business aviation event.
‘Thousands of people attend EBACE and so it’s fantastic that we have been able to make this announcement at such a prestigious event. It’s also really positive publicity for Guernsey and the Channel Islands that Waves has a presence and is partnering with such a highly regarded company like Textron Aviation,’ said CEO of Waves Nick Magliocchetti.
‘Having seen how positively the aircraft was received during our recent showcase, and based on the feedback and enthusiasm we have received from the team at 2-Reg, I am delighted that we have been able to officially place an order for a Cessna Grand Caravan EX utility turboprop with the aim of launching on 1st August 2017.’
Waves is redefining the air taxi service and will use the new aircraft to fly customers between the Channel Islands and to the south of the UK and northern France using a state-of-the art reservation system that will allow customers to reserve flights in real time based on user demand.
Textron Aviation said the recent passage of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) commercial air transport (CAT) single-engine turboprop (SET) instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) regulation played a vital role in opening up operations for companies like Waves to utilise the Cessna Caravan platform to drive its business forward.
‘We are thrilled Waves has chosen the robust Grand Caravan EX platform to launch this exciting new air taxi service,’ said Tom Perry, vice-president of Sales, Europe for Textron Aviation.
‘We are confident that the Grand Caravan EX will provide Waves and its customers a dependable and comfortable experience with its ability to land on short runways, carry high payloads and take on nearly any mission with efficiency and simplicity.’
Mr Magliocchetti, Waves deputy CEO Barrie Baxter and COO Matt Bisson are at EBACE in Geneva with more than 500 exhibitors and 60 aircraft on display.
‘It’s a very impressive event and shows how big an industry the aviation business is. People are genuinely interested about our proposition and about the Channel Islands,’ said Mr Baxter.
Waves is about to open its second round of funding to secure £2.5m in private investment.
