What West Air does

West Air, Inc. is a regional air cargo feeder operator headquartered at 5005 E. Anderson Ave., Fresno, California, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire Holdings, Inc. since January 2022. The company provides scheduled regional cargo delivery services exclusively for FedEx Express under a long-standing Feeder agreement in place since 1987, transporting packages between smaller markets and FedEx's hub-and-spoke distribution network across California, Nevada, and Utah.

West Air operates a unified fleet of Cessna 208 Caravan single-engine turboprops from five operational bases — Ontario, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, and Las Vegas — under FAA Part 135 commuter and on-demand air carrier certification, a regulatory standing it has held for over 35 years. The company transitioned to an all-Cessna 208 configuration with 33 new aircraft added at the start of its FedEx relationship, and has since won multiple FedEx Feeder of the Year awards recognizing operational reliability. West Air also partners with Flight Safety International to provide pilot training and emphasizes quality-of-life scheduling (pilots home nights, weekends, and holidays) as a recruiting and retention lever.

The business model is a B2B contracted aviation services arrangement with a single anchor customer (FedEx Express), generating recurring revenue tied to flight operations and sortie volumes rather than per-package retail pricing. Pricing is set through private commercial negotiation and is not publicly disclosed. West Air functions as an extension of FedEx's regional cargo network with no diversified customer base, modular product lines, or direct-to-consumer channels; growth is driven primarily by route assignment, fleet utilization, and crew capacity rather than market expansion or product launches. Following its acquisition by Empire Holdings, West Air continues to operate as a standalone entity under CEO Tim Komberec.

Name

West Air

Legal name

West Air, Inc.

Website

https://westair.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

West Air, Inc. is a Fresno-based regional air cargo feeder that operates a Cessna 208 Caravan fleet exclusively for FedEx Express across California, Nevada, and Utah from five bases, functioning as a contracted extension of FedEx's hub-and-spoke network since 1987.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Air Cargo Feeder Services

NAICS

Scheduled Freight Air Transportation (481112), Scheduled Air Transportation (48111)

SIC

Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512), Air Courier Services (4513)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional / Feeder Air Cargo Carriers (TLADAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Express / Time-Definite Air Cargo Carriers (TLADAAAB), On-Demand Scheduled Commuter (Part 135/Small Aircraft Scheduled) (THABACAN)

Keywords

• Regional air cargo
• FedEx feeder operations
• Cessna Caravan fleet
• Express package delivery
• Part 135 air carrier

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. FedEx Feeder Cargo Operations: West Air generates revenue through contracted cargo delivery services as a FedEx Feeder operator. The company flies Cessna 208 Caravans on scheduled routes for FedEx Express, providing regional cargo distribution services. This is a long-term B2B contract arrangement with predictable recurring revenue based on flight operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

West Air, Inc. operates a fleet of Cessna 208 Caravans as a dedicated FedEx Feeder airline, providing scheduled regional air cargo and package delivery services. The company connects smaller markets in California, Nevada, and Utah to FedEx Express's hub-and-spoke distribution infrastructure from five operational bases (Ontario, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, and Las Vegas) under FAA Part 135 certification.

Product overview

West Air, Inc. is a regional aviation services company operating as a FedEx Feeder carrier since 1987. The company operates a unified fleet of Cessna 208 Caravans exclusively for FedEx Express, providing regional air cargo and package delivery services. West Air's operations span multiple California hubs (Ontario, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland) plus Las Vegas, servicing parts of California, Nevada, and Utah. The company functions as a single-service airline focused on regional cargo feeder operations, with no modular product architecture or separate service lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FedEx Feeder Cargo Operations Scheduled regional air cargo and package delivery services operated under FAA Part 135 with a Cessna 208 Caravan fleet, exclusively serving FedEx Express from bases in Ontario, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, and Las Vegas across California, Nevada, and Utah.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Empire Holdings, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 January 2022Empire Holdings, Inc., parent company of Empire Airlines, acquired West Air, Inc. on January 10, 2022. The acquisition expands Empire Holdings' footprint as it already owns Empire Airlines, Empire Aerospace and Empire Unmanned. West Air continues to operate as a standalone company with existing management in place. Empire Airlines CEO Tim Komberec became West Air's new CEO. The acquisition brings together two long-established FedEx Feeder operators with complementary geographic coverage.
• FedExcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWest Air has operated as a FedEx Feeder airline since 1987, providing regional cargo delivery services using Cessna 208 Caravans. The company flies scheduled routes for FedEx Express, connecting regional markets in California, Nevada, and Utah to FedEx distribution infrastructure. This is a long-term, exclusive operating relationship where West Air functions as an extension of FedEx's cargo network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Empire Airlines: Empire Airlines is the sister company of West Air under the same Empire Holdings parent and is itself a long-standing FedEx Feeder carrier, operating Cessna Caravans out of 16 bases across 11 states. It is the most directly comparable operator in fleet type, customer, contract structure, and business model.
• Mountain Air Cargo: Mountain Air Cargo is a FedEx Feeder operator based in North Carolina operating a similar single-fleet regional cargo model for FedEx Express in the eastern United States. It mirrors West Air's Cessna 208 fleet, scheduled operations, and dedicated single-customer structure.
• Ameriflight: Ameriflight is the largest U.S. Part 135 air cargo carrier, operating a fleet of larger Cessna Caravans, Beechcraft 1900s, and other aircraft for UPS, FedEx, DHL, and other express integrators. It is a direct competitor in the regional feeder market and operates under the same regulatory framework as West Air.
• CSA Air: CSA Air is a FedEx Feeder operator based in Iron Mountain, Michigan, flying Cessna 208 Caravans on scheduled regional cargo routes in the upper Midwest. It uses the same aircraft type, the same single-customer contracting model, and the same Part 135 regulatory regime as West Air.
• Wiggins Airways: Wiggins Airways operates a fleet of Cessna 402s and Beechcraft 99s as a feeder carrier for UPS and other integrators in the northeastern U.S. While its anchor customer is UPS rather than FedEx, its Part 135 scheduled feeder business model and short-haul regional lift profile are structurally identical to West Air's.
• Air Cargo Carriers: Air Cargo Carriers is a FedEx Feeder operator flying a fleet of Cessna 208 Caravans on scheduled routes in the eastern and central United States. It is a directly comparable feeder carrier in fleet type, single-customer dependence, and Part 135 scheduled operations.
• Martinaire Aviation: Martinaire is a FedEx Feeder operator headquartered in Dallas operating Cessna 208 Caravans on scheduled regional cargo routes. It uses the same contracted Part 135 feeder business model as West Air and serves comparable regional routes across the central U.S.
• Baron Aviation Services: Baron Aviation Services is a FedEx Feeder carrier operating Cessna Caravans on scheduled regional routes across the southern United States. It is a directly comparable single-customer Part 135 cargo operator with similar fleet and contract structure.
• Corporate Air: Corporate Air is a FedEx Feeder operator based in West Virginia operating a fleet of Cessna Caravans on scheduled regional cargo routes. It uses the same Part 135 carrier model and single FedEx customer relationship as West Air.

Others

• Empire Unmanned: Empire Unmanned is also owned by Empire Holdings, West Air's parent, and focuses on unmanned aerial cargo operations. It is included not as a competitor but as a sibling platform that signals parent-level interest in next-generation regional cargo technologies relevant to West Air's feeder route economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WestAirInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/West-Air-Inc-102174639025763
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-air-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/westairinc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West Air