The charter airline with the same owner as the Arizona Cardinals is expanding and launching maintenance operations at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, after the company secured certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Gridiron Air LLC announced Dec. 4 it received FAA certification to be a Part 121 Supplemental Air Carrier, which allows the company to operate as a charter airline and seek new customers. A supplemental certification means Gridiron doesn’t have scheduled flights or sell individual seats, but rather charters the entire airplane.
Now the company is discussing the significance of the certification and how Alliance Airport fits into its strategy.
Gridiron has been transporting the Cardinals since 2021 — both the airline and the NFL team are owned by Michael Bidwill. The new certification allows the company to expand to new customers.
“Gridiron Air’s commitment to perfection and delivering a fully customized guest experience has provided our team with the most convenient and comfortable mode of travel possible,” Bidwill said in a statement. “I am excited for the market as a whole to experience the same class-leading charter experience enjoyed by our team and look forward to offering fan travel for select road games starting 2025.”
The company has plans to operate a fleet of Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, which feature four cabin zones and seating for up to 288 people, plus capacity to carry more than 125,000 pounds. Currently, the company leases two aircraft, according to a Department of Transportation document from July. The new type of certification Gridiron obtained is often preferred by pro sports teams, said Michael Stovall, Gridiron’s chief commercial officer.
“It creates the safest environment, has the highest requirements of the FAA,” he said. “Which is why pro teams, college teams … prefer a 121 carrier, just because of the additional oversight of the FAA.”
Gridiron moved its headquarters to Alliance in October 2023, where much of its leadership team is based. It has about 100 employees, Stovall said. Gridiron also has property in the northern portion of the airport, where it will park and perform maintenance on the airplanes.
Gridiron currently advertises online three job openings in Fort Worth, including for aircraft mechanic, warehouse clerk and quality assurance auditor.
While Gridiron is based at Alliance and will perform maintenance there, it will not actually fly customers out of the airport.
“The airplanes will come through here on some regular basis for routine maintenance, things like that,” Stovall said. “But otherwise … we won’t be launching airplanes and receiving airplanes here.”
Stovall did not specify whether the company has signed on any other pro sports teams, but did say the company is getting “good interest” from NFL, NBA and MLB clubs.
“We’re certainly looking at all things sports related, both pro and collegiate,” he said.
Chris Ash, senior vice president of aviation business development for Hillwood’s Alliance Aviation Cos., said Gridiron is a perfect fit for the Fort Worth airport. He said there are other charter operators at Alliance Airport. While planes coming into and going out of Alliance are primarily for cargo, some businesses use the airport for maintenance operations.
“Those [Boeing 777-200ERs] are quite large, and it takes a certain type airport to be able to handle that type of aircraft from a landing and take off runway infrastructure piece, but also from an aircraft servicing perspective,” he said.
Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport is the nation’s first industrial airport. Amazon Air and FedEx have operation hubs at the airport. Recently, aviation giant Embraer SA announced it was moving a $70 million maintenance and repair hub to Alliance. The airport is part of AllianceTexas, a development by Dallas-based Hillwood. AllianceTexas is home to 575 companies that have created more than 66,000 jobs.