ADI provides DOT with requested information

By Kalea Hall | May 20, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

VIENNA

The Mahoning Valley’s largest airport is one step closer to providing flights to Chicago.

On Thursday, Aerodynamics, or ADI, sent the U.S. Department of Transportation the information it requested May 3.

Now, the airline must wait for the DOT to review the information and provide final approval of the daily scheduled service to Chicago O’Hare International Airport from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna.

“We are still working toward a July 1 service launch date,” said Mickey Bowman, vice president of airline services for ADI, in a statement.

Tickets will go on sale after the DOT approves the certification for the service.

The delay in receiving the certification pushed back the date for the flights to start – first from June 1 to June 13 and then from June 13 to July 1.

ADI, a charter-service airline, has provided the DOT with its request of an updated certificate of insurance; citizenship information for the director of safety; security and compliance; third-party verification that ADI’s funds meet the department’s financial-fitness test; verification of commitment of funds from John Beardsley, ADI’s owner; and ADI’s most-recent income statement.

The Western Reserve Port Authority, which operates the airport, offered a $1.2 million revenue guarantee to ADI. Of the $1.2 million, $780,000 comes from the department’s Small Community Air Service Development Program and $420,000 comes from the local hotel bed-tax fund.

But the DOT told ADI on May 3 it cannot use the full $1.2 million, but can use the local portion of $420,000.

In a letter to DOT Beardsley’s power of attorney signed, it confirmed Beardsley’s “continuing commitment to providing financial support to ADI.” The support will come through his company, Fountain Village Development Co. If necessary, Beardsley has the funds of $905,000 to meet the department’s financial-fitness test.

Also included in ADI’s Thursday filing to the DOT is its January through March 2016 income statement. The statement shows ADI with $1,852,064 in total income. After costs and expenses, ADI reported a net loss of $1,119,905.

Bowman explained ADI had “significant maintenance-related costs” in the first quarter because of heavy maintenance on one of the company’s three aircraft.

“The timing was particularly bad given the fact that we had to pass on a great deal of NCAA basketball charter activity with a third of our fleet unavailable,” Bowman said in a statement.