IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Threshold Aviation Group, one of the largest employers in aircraft sales, management and maintenance in Inland Southern California announced a major expansion of its business at the Chino Airport. Tecnam, a leading Italy-based airplane manufacturer has awarded exclusive rights to the sales and maintenance of their aircraft in California and Arizona to the team at Threshold Aviation Group (TAG).
The Chino-based company that has been flying, managing, servicing and selling airplanes of various brands and sizes since 1989 has formed a new company that will manage the Tecnam business, Cielo Blu (Italian for blue skies). The new corporation is owned by the DiLullo family and will be led by Kayla DiLullo with support from her father, Mark DiLullo, mother Lisa, sister Nicole and the rest of the team at TAG. “We are all very excited to work with Kayla while representing Tecnam, an award-winning aircraft manufacturer.” said Mark DiLullo, CEO and Founder of TAG.
Kayla DiLullo recently completed her law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law and earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California San Marcos. “I am thrilled at the opportunity to work closely with my family at the aviation business that my father has built along with his outstanding team” said Kayla DiLullo, President/Managing Director, Cielo Blu who went on to further state, “I am happy to announce that we successfully negotiated, spec’d and ordered fifteen new aircraft with an option on three more.”
“With all of the travel challenges we faced in covid and the workforce diaspora, private aviation underwent a massive expansion and although not a market for the everyday American, this business of private aviation should continue to thrive,” said Jay Prag, Economist and Professor of Economics and Finance at The Drucker School. “This is an excellent opportunity for Threshold to expand their business in retail aviation sales and service and is obviously a major expansion of the business at the Chino Airport. The local economy will benefit from the increase in employment and there are obvious tax benefits to the local and regional government in terms of sales tax revenue.”
The Tecnam Story
Out of the ashes of World War II, two Italian Brothers started building an aviation business. When they won the Giro di Sicilia race with their P55 Tornado the brothers gained recognition and started their first company: Partenavia.
In 1970 they introduced their first twin-engine model and it became one of the most sold European twin-engine airplanes in the United States.
In the early 1980’s that company was acquired by the Italian Government and in 1986 the brothers started a new company – Tecnam. That company has grown extensively since then and has nearly 10,000 planes in operation with sixty-five certified dealers and more than one hundred service centers worldwide.
Threshold now joins this elite group.
