Bobby Orr flies into Worcester for airline's 20,000th flight

Courtesy/Congressman Jim McGovern Congressman Jim McGovern greets the pilot who flew Rectrix's 20,000th flight into Worcester on Monday.

Write a Comment

Rectrix Commercial Aviation Services marked its 20,000th charter flight in Worcester on Monday by flying in Bobby Orr.

The Boston Bruins legend was on hand for the company’s milestone, along with Worcester Regional Airport Director Andy Davis, City Manager Ed Augustus, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President Tim Murray, Rectrix CEO Richard Cawley, and Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA). Orr has attended Rectrix events in Worcester in the past.

“The entire Rectrix team is so pleased to achieve this milestone and mark the moment here in Worcester. Our Aerodrome facility at [Worcester airport] has been a source of tremendous growth for us since it opened in late 2015 -- and designating this airport as our maintenance base-of-operations this past year was indicative of that success,” Cawley said in a statement.

The airline, which uses Worcester airport as a maintenance-base-of-operations for its aircraft fleet, is the largest private jet operator based in Massachusetts. It began its charter service in 2010.

The Worcester airport, which has been unreliable for years because of fog, has gotten more attention over the past few years. In February, JetBlue announced it will begin flying passengers from Worcester to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City once a day after the airport finishes installing a $30-million airline guiding system to allow for safer landings and takeoffs during bad weather.

In October, Rectrix announced it will offer passenger service from Worcester to Baltimore/Washington International Airport starting this year. The company opened an operations base for private jets in a 50,000-square-foot hangar at the Worcester airport in 2015.