Air Wisconsin (ZW, Appleton Outgamie County Regional) will furlough up to 252 employees as part of its ongoing restructuring following the signing of a Letter of Intent for the acquisition of certain assets and Part 121 certification of the carrier by Premier Shuttle Holdings, the company has told the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
“Because Premier will need flexibility in shaping its workforce to align with its business plan, and in accordance with federal and state WARN requirements, Air Wisconsin has issued notices to each of its 252 employees (102 management and 150 represented employees)” located at Milwaukee General Mitchell, Appleton County Regional Airport, and at the company’s hangar in Milwaukee that their positions may be impacted.
The furloughs will begin on October 28, 2025, it added.
Premier, an affiliate of Slate Aviation, signed a non-binding letter of intent with Air Wisconsin for the acquisition of the company. It is pursuing this transaction to expand into larger aircraft such as the CRJ700 and E175.
The bizjet operator currently offers all-business-class service on premium leisure routes in the eastern United States, including between New York and South Florida. If Air Wisconsin’s acquisition moves forward, Premier would own and operate over sixty CRJ200 aircraft.
The assets that are not acquired by Premier will remain under the umbrella of Harbor Diversified, Air Wisconsin’s current parent, which aims to establish a new business focusing on aircraft, engine, and parts sales and leasing. This new business will employ certain Air Wisconsin employees to support its operation.
This is the latest shift in the carrier’s business model, which, until last year, operated under a capacity purchase agreement (CPA) for American Airlines. Earlier this year, it announced the termination of the agreement to focus on Essential Air Service (EAS) markets. However, the EAS-oriented business lasted only a few months, as the carrier has now withdrawn from its first EAS contract and all of its 11 pending applications. Air Wisconsin operates a fleet of sixty-one CRJ200s.
