California Pacific Airlines (San Diego McClellan Palomar) has resumed certification with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following a near three-year long hiatus. The start-up's fourth attempt at securing an AOC was suspended in late 2013 following FAA budget cuts. Later plans to acquire an existing carrier's AOC also fell through.
However, in a statement issued this week, the start-up said it had begun working with the FAA Certificate Management Office in Phoenix, Arizona, with its formal application, including its Department of Transportation (DOT) Final Order, having now been reactivated. With things moving along, California Pacific expects to attain its AOC within four months time.
"All along, we continued to invest in the airline, despite difficulties that proved beyond our control," Nonagenarian entrepreneur and airline founder Ted Vallas said. "The [North County] community must know that we never abandoned our plans to bring a quality air service to the region. We've kept our position with the FAA, DOT, our investors, and County Airports and are now moving forward."
Once certified, California Pacific plans to use a trio of E135s to serve six destinations in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico from its San Diego McClellan Palomar hub initially. Thereafter, once established and certified as an FAR Part 121 carrier, it plans to integrate larger E170s into its fleet that is projected to grow to twenty aircraft in three to four years. At that point, the airline's expanded route network will comprise twenty-five domestic and international destinations, including Houston, Vancouver International and Acapulco.
