Happy birthday - 30 years of Meridian

This is the time to celebrate, to say happy birthday, congratulations on the achievement and the age you've reached! Meridian is proud to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its jet charter business!

“We officially entered the jet age in 1989 when the owner of one of the piston aircraft we managed acquired a jet,” said Ken Forester, Meridian’s CEO. “From there we continued to grow and add additional aircraft, as well as open our FAA-approved repair station.” 

General Aviation Flying Service, as the charter company was originally known, was formed in 1983. In September 1989, it added its first jet, a Citation SII, to its fleet of piston aircraft. In 1986, General Aviation Flying Service became Million Air Charter Teterboro when its FBO joined the aviation franchise. In 2004, the company evolved into Meridian Air Charter, as it is known today.

In 1997, the company began operating a Gulfstream II, marking its entry into the large cabin charter business. Today, Meridian Air Charter has a diverse fleet of aircraft, ranging from ultra long-range to midsize and light jets. “We’ve seen a lot of growth over the last 30 years, both with our charter division and with the rest of the company,” added Forester. “I’m proud of what we have accomplished and look forward to serving our customers for many years to come.”

Meridian currently manages a wide range of aircraft types that are available for private charter. Our extensive fleet includes the Global 5000, Gulfstream G550, Falcon 7X, Gulfstream GIV-SP, Falcon 900EX EASy, Challenger 650, Challenger 605, Challenger 604, Falcon 2000EX EASy, Gulfstream G200, and Hawker 900XP. In addition, other aircraft types are available through Meridian’s extensive network of qualified operators.  

Meridian is an award-winning, private aviation company with locations at Teterboro Airport (TEB) near New York City, and Hayward Executive Airport (HWD) near San Francisco. Meridian owns and operates businesses that include FBOs, Private Air Charter, Aircraft Management, and Aircraft Maintenance. We also have charter sales offices located at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) and Sonoma County Airport (STS) in California, and Opa-Locka Executive Airport (OPF) in Miami, FL.

Meridian Teterboro has earned numerous industry awards and accolades for its exceptional service: 2019 AIN FBO Survey - Top 5% FBO in the Americas and #1 FBO in Northeast; 2019 Professional PilotPRASE Survey - Top 13 Best FBOs in US, Top 6 Best Independent FBOs in US, and Best CSRs (Betsy Wines and Victor Seda); 2018 Pilots’ Choice Awards - #1 US FBO in Northeast. Meridian was voted #1 FBO at Teterboro Airport in all three surveys. 

Meridian Air Charter has one of the best safety standards in the industry. In addition to our own Safety Management System (SMS), we regularly undergo rigorous third-party audits conducted by the industry’s leading vendor and international industry auditing associations. Meridian is one of only 140 operators worldwide to hold the ARG/US Platinum rating, the highest level awarded. We are also IS-BAO Stage 2 Certified and IATA TCO Approved. We maintain the Wyvern Wingman Certification, which only 103 operators currently hold worldwide.