US start-up airline Airbahn shows off first aircraft

Airbahn, a start-up passenger airline headquartered in Los Angeles suburb Irvine, published photos of its first aircraft, an Airbus A320, on social media on 24 November. “Airbahn is a private airline launching very soon,” the company says on its Twitter profile. “It will be based at Irvine, California and plans to operate within and between destinations in [the] western USA.” According to its website, Airbahn is hiring flight-operations and back-office roles based in Irvine and Ontario (both in the Los Angeles metropolitan area), and in San Jose, Oakland and Sacramento. The carrier’s website provides little other information. Media outlets reported last week that Airbahn is preparing to begin passenger flights in March 2022. The company filed an application with the Department of Transportation (DOT) for a certificate of operation as a domestic and international airline on 12 October 2018. The DOT approved the application in October 2020, granting it a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. That gave Airbahn a green light to carry passengers, mail and cargo. Airlines also need FAA certificates to begin revenue flights. <br/>