Bellair (North Carolina) (TCN, Raleigh/Durham) has rebranded as Jet Excellence following the acquisition of Red Wing Aviation (LAK, Red Wing), one of four Part 135-certified operators previously trading as Vista America. According to Jet Excellence's website, the transaction includes a fleet of Citation X aircraft, although the exact number has not been disclosed.
As of July, RWA's Part 135 certificate comprised nineteen Citation X jets, all formerly operated by XOJET Aviation (XOJ, Fort Lauderdale Executive), also part of Vista America. The aircraft had been stored at Red Wing since mid-2024, when they were put up for sale. Since August 20, 11 of them have resumed activity with test flights.
Until now, Jet Excellence operated six Citation X aircraft under the Part 135 certificate of JEM Air Holdings, LLC. All have been added since mid-2024, including four ex-Wheels Up jets previously placed on Mountain Aviation's charter certificate, one ex-Ultimate Jet, which ceased operations earlier this year, and one formerly with Executive Jet Management. Ultimate Jet's ex-Citation X, N769XJ (msn 750-0269), suffered a nose wheel collapse on takeoff at San Diego International on September 17. Jet Excellence has also acquired two other ex-Wheels Up Citation X aircraft that were not Part 135-certified in July. One has already entered service under the carrier's 'TCN' code
In July, Jet Excellence's certificate also covered a Citation Encore, parked at Elizabethtown Curtis L Brown Jr. Field since July 5 and not listed on the company's website, a Citation Excel, a Hawker 800XP, three Hawker 800XPis, and a King Air B300 Beech (twin turboprop). It remains unclear whether the certificates of JEM Air Holdings and RWA will be maintained separately or consolidated.
Meanwhile, XOJET's Part 135 certificate, also put up for sale by Vista America, included two additional Citation X aircraft parked at Van Nuys and Wichita Eisenhower since 2024. Vista America's website has since been updated to reflect a new operational structure centred on the certificates of JetSelect Aviation and Jet Edge, with most aircraft allocated to JetSelect.