Kalitta Charters buys small package express airline

AirNet was for sale after struggling to maintain business in the overnight express business.    Kalitta Charters, a provider of charter air services using small aircraft, said Tuesday it has acquired scheduled and on-demand express charter provider AirNet.
   Columbus, Ohio-based AirNet has been under court-supervised receivership after digital document transfers in recent years wiped out much of its overnight business carrying canceled checks for banks, legal documents and other small packages for businesses. 
   Kalitta Charters is a sister company to Kalitta Air, an international all-cargo airline founded and run by Connie Kalitta. His nephew, Douglas Kalitta, heads Kalitta Charters, which also has a subsidiary that operates airline-size aircraft such as Boeing 737s.
   Ypsilanti, Mich.-based Kalitta Charters’s primary line of work is as an air ambulance, General Manager Berry Birurakis said. It also transports some passengers and cargo. 
   AirNet focuses on transporting cargo, primarily radiopharmaceuticals. It also carries organs, dangerous goods and security-sensitive goods. The company operates out of the cargo-friendly Rickenbacker Airport.
  The two companies also have maintenance operations that complement each other, the company said.
   Kalitta Charters owns Kalitta Turbines, which maintains turbine engines, while AirNet has a repair station that mostly deals with airframes and avionics. 
   “So between the two of them we can cover the whole airplane,” Birurakis said.
   AirNet will continue to operate under its own name, he added.
   Kalitta Charters has 22 planes in its fleet, while AirNet has about a dozen aircraft.