Redwings Eyes Expansion of FBO Services

Q: How would you describe the Redwings experience?

A: We want Redwings to be a 360-degree experience. We provide our clients excellent service before, during and after each flight. The Redwings experience starts once they arrive at the FBO. We make sure our clients feel comfortable at our facilities and when they board, they will find an aircraft in excellent condition. We provide our clients with the highest security standards as well as excellent service from our staff and airline captains. Our ramp and dispatch procedures are based on the Wyvern quality system, which allows us to become the best aviation service provider for your customers. This certification guarantees a quality standard for all flights. We always make sure we accommodate our clients’ expectations. For instance, if it starts raining, we provide them with umbrellas. If passengers travel with pets, we make sure we have enough pet food. If children will be flying, we make sure we have candy, among other great perks. We go that extra mile. This is what differentiates us from other FBOs.

Q: How is the FBO project in Puebla advancing?

A: Our FBO is a private terminal inside Puebla’s airport. This personalized terminal offers the same airport services but these are tailored to our clients who choose to fly on private jets. Our FBO offers handling services for inbound and outbound national and international flights. Redwings has three main business areas. The first is an aero taxi service provider, the second is an MBO and the third is the FBO. We began our internationally recognized FBO business in 2016 in Queretaro. This year, our main goal is to expand our FBO services in Puebla. These will include catering services, flight coordination, personalized customer services and fuel services. All of these services really make a huge difference, especially when saving time and money. For instance, we do not have to rely on ASA to fuel our airplanes and jets.

Q: Why did you choose the city of Puebla to run an FBO?

A: The Puebla FBO started operations in July. Inside the terminal, you can find a boarding room, a business room and in the coming months, we plan to open an international waiting room and soon we will have a fuel services operation. We chose Puebla after researching locations with high growth potential, such as the Bajio, where real estate development has been making great progress. Puebla will experience significant business development growth in the next 10 years, which is what attracted us. We want to offer the Queretaro experience in Puebla.

Today, Puebla is a strong car manufacturing hub and there are many business projects in the making. In addition, nearshoring is also attracting many new investments to the city, especially for electric vehicle production. Some of these investments include VW, which is planning to revamp its car production facility. Moreover, there are other companies that are investing in developing battery technologies. These are just some of the investments that are coming to Puebla in the coming months. Redwings is betting on Puebla for its industrial potential as well as for its resilient tourism industry.

Q: How are you planning to develop the market?

A: We consider Puebla a new market and our goal is to reach 120 flights a month within a year. The plan is to invite other handlers and to work with the Ministry of Tourism and chambers of commerce to promote our executive fleet. We want to attract people who frequently visit the city during the weekends as well as CEOs and directors general of companies that are based in Puebla. We want to create business synergies.

Q: How is the Queretaro FBO coming along and what figures do you expect for this year and in 2024?

A: The Queretaro airport has 280 daily operations. Sixty percent is cargo, 30% is commercial aviation and 10% belongs to general aviation. Within that 10%, we handle between four and five daily operations. Growth will be gradual since we are hoping to reach 300 daily operations. Eventually, we want to compete with the Bajio airport, which caters to many American travelers who choose San Miguel de Allende as their premier destination. We plan on offering helicopter shuttle services from Queretaro to San Miguel de Allende — the travel time will take 20 minutes. This is a great advantage because for travelers flying out of the Bajio airport, it would take much longer. In addition, we are strengthening our sales strategies and, as a result, large corporations, such as Michelin, Petco and Comagra, are employing our services.

Q: What certifications back you up?

A: We are part of Airelite, which backs the quality standards for all FBOs. For air taxis, we are certified by Wyvern, which certifies flight and training procedures, as well as online standardized processes. By having these certifications, we guarantee our clients the highest quality standards, maintenance and catering services. For instance, at our Queretaro FBO, we have a chef who prepares personalized and nutritious breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Q: What are your market projections for the next five years?

A: Redwings wants to consolidate its air taxi shuttle business in Queretaro and Puebla. We also want to cater to other important tourist destinations. An example is Tulum, where the construction of its new airport is set to finish by the end of the year. Our goal is to establish operations in that airport, especially because it is a tourism hub. One aspect to highlight is that 80% of the passengers that will arrive in Tulum will travel to Playa del Carmen, which is considered a top tourism destination. Moreover, once the Maya Train starts operations it will draw an increasing number of tourists and we want to be part of this booming industry. Other great vacation spots are Los Cabos, La Paz and Loreto. We have plans to offer the Redwings experience at top Mexican beach destinations.

One of our main plans for this year is to purchase 10 eVTOL aircraft. Redwings is an eco-friendly company that wants to contribute to decarbonization and supports clean energies. Having said this, we found this company that produces electric aircraft that have vertical landing and take-off and fly short distances. For instance, if you want to fly from Queretaro or Puebla to Val’Quirico, it can get very complicated and very expensive. To solve this dilemma, we are counting on these aircraft to take passengers short distances. These aircraft could provide a shuttle service from Queretaro to Mexico City, which is only 100 miles, for example, instead of traveling by car, which can take up to four hours due to all the road traffic.

We are also developing a new business using the KingAir C90 for executive shuttles. We are planning to start selling executive flights from Queretaro to Mexico City. Our goal is to fly Monday to Friday with one flight a day for now. We want to start this service by the end of the year.