RAV Buys Leased ATR Fleet, Major Cargo Contract Signed

Huntsville, AL (AP)- In a time when high fuel costs coupled with a horrible travel economy means many airlines are cutting back their new frame purchases, Rocket Air Virtual announced today that it has bought it's leased ATR 42-500 fleet. Chief Operating Officer Matt Reichelderfer had these comments after the announcement was released. "This is a big day for us here at Rocket Air, as up until today our fleet was completely leased from various sources. This move gives us some hard assets. It is hoped that this will make us more attractive to investors and potential customers." In other news Rocket Air announced a big cargo deal with Toyota Motor Company. The Airline's cargo division will now be transporting the engines used in the larger SUV and Truck models for Toyota. The current contract calls for the airline to supply two plants in North America with enough engines to run each day. These plants are located at Tijuana, Mexico and Fremont, CA. If all goes well Rocket Air will be awarded an additional contract to supply two more plants; one located in Indiana and one located in Texas. To accomplish this Rocket Air has leased an additional 3 Boeing 747-400Fs, and will be serving Tijuana International Airport and San Jose Regional Airport. The current demand is for 3 daily flights in and out of the airports from their hub at Huntsville International Airport.When asked if the downturn in leisure travel has sparked this sudden interest in Cargo growth COO Matt Reichelderfer had this to say. "Although we have seen a decline in passenger traffic, our main goal is to serve the people of Huntsville with connections to the destinations that they want. We are using our Cargo Division to fill the fiscal gap that we are currently seeing in the passenger sector."Rocket Air Management is also very confident that Toyota will award them the secondary contract. For these shorter haul flights Rocket Air is in discussion with an as yet undisclosed lessor for MD-11Fs. It is their hopes that these plans will come together within a month.Check us out at www.rocketairvirtual.com