DayJet named the Gainesville Regional Airport as the company's first Southeast DayBase and maintenance facility, adding the new role to its previously announced position as a DayPort for per-seat, on-demand jet service network.

Gainesville will be home to DayJet's aircraft fleet, flight operations and maintenance personnel serving North Florida, affording daily light maintenance on the Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet it will use on its network. It will also serve as DayJet's Southeast Regional Maintenance Facility where all heavy maintenance and inspections will occur, including work on the aircraft's Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F engines. Aircraft manufacturer, Eclipse, will have a factory service center in Gainesville and is currently building a 61,000-square-foot facility scheduled to open in early 2007. Returning aircraft to a home base is key to the success of this new model in air taxi operations.

When fully operational, the Gainesville DayBase will be staffed by about 60 employees, while Eclipse will hire up to 160 for its new facility. The operations are expected to contribute $26 million to the local economy.