Island Air MEC chairman Capt. Monte Vories issued the following statement about the sale of Island Air to Ohana Airline Holdings LLC, a private holding company owned by billionaire Larry Ellison.

“The acquisition of Island Air by Ohana Airline Holdings LLC represents a new chapter for Island Air—one that we hope will bring renewed success to our airline, our employees, and our passengers.”

Vories continued, “For more than 32 years, Island Air pilots have provided a valuable service to the people of Hawaii and its visitors. We expect to build upon this great tradition, and are excited about the company’s plans to expand our service and customer base around the islands. Introducing new ATR aircraft into our fleet is a great start.

“For continued success, however, it will take teamwork between company management and the company’s largest stakeholders—the employee groups. The pilots are committed to doing our part in this process, as proven over the past few months by working out a new contract that sets the terms and conditions for operating new ATR aircraft. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the new management team and working together to advance Island Air so it can better compete in the local marketplace.”