FirstFlight Announces Financial Results for Year Ended December 31, 2007

Revenue Rises 20.1% to $47.1 Million

Net Income of $184,000 in 2007 Compared to a $3.3 Million Net Loss in 2006

Conference Call Scheduled for Tuesday, April 1, 2008, at 11 am EDT

ELMIRA, N.Y. & CORNING, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FirstFlight, Inc. (OTC BB: FFLT) a charter management and aviation services company, today announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2007.

Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2007 increased 20.1 percent to $47.1 million from revenue of $39.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2006. This increase was primarily due to the results of the Companys charter segment, which generated over $38 million in revenue, a 22.4 percent increase over revenue of $31.2 million generated from this segment in the prior year, and the fixed base operations (FBO) segment, which generated $5.9 million, an 18.4 percent increase over revenue of $5.0 million generated from this segment in the same period in 2006.

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2007 was $184,000, as compared to a net loss for the year ended December 31, 2006 of $3.3 million, an improvement of approximately $3.5 million. This change was largely driven by an improvement in the Companys operating results and by the reduction of interest expense related to the repayment of senior debt in connection with the Companys $5.025 million offering completed in September 2006.

John Dow, President and CEO of FirstFlight, stated, We are extremely pleased with the progress we are making in implementing our strategic business plan. In 2007, our revenue increased and SG&A expenses decreased as compared with the same period in 2006. Our charter segment improved markedly, largely due to a larger fleet and a more productive use of mid and large cabin aircraft in charter activities. In the FBO segment, increases related to fueling managed aircraft and a higher average price for fuel as a result of higher fuel costs contributed to our higher revenue.

One of the keys to our continuing success in 2008 will be additions to our fleet of charter aircraft, and we have added sales people to enhance our capabilities. A dedicated vice president of sales and marketing has been added along with three additional charter sales personnel. Their mission is to add additional managed aircraft to our portfolio and to create better utilization of our fleet of managed aircraft by increasing the number of booked charter hours. We believe that we have positioned them in geographically strategic markets where we have recently added managed aircraft and in which we believe sufficient opportunity exists for new aircraft and charter clients. Already this year, we have added a Gulfstream G500 to our fleet, which is based in Opa-locka, in south Florida, representing our latest step in expanding our presence in the Florida marketplace. We continue to implement our plan to become a national company through expansion of our own fleet, increasing the number of charter clients and acquiring FBOs.

We remain conscious of the need to control costs, added Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Keith Bleier, and we will continue with the cost containment measures that were initiated during 2007. We believe that our balance sheet shows more than sufficient liquidity to sustain our existing business for at least the next twelve months, and we believe that 2008 will be another significant year in our development.

Senior management of FirstFlight Inc. will discuss the companys financial results and achievements on a conference call on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 11 a.m. EDT. Those who wish to participate in the conference call may telephone (888) 335-6674 from the U.S. or (973) 582-2845 for international callers, conference ID# 39997676 approximately 15 minutes before the call. A digital replay will be available approximately 2 hours after the completion of the call by telephone for two weeks and may be accessed by dialing (800) 642-1687, from the U.S., or (706) 645-9291, for international callers, conference ID# 39997676.

The Company also reported Adjusted EBITDA1 of $1,010,402 for the year ended December 31, 2007, an improvement of approximately $2.1 million as compared to the year ended December 31, 2006. Please see footnote 1 below for our definition of Adjusted EBITDA, a description of why we use Adjusted EBITDA and important disclaimers regarding Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP measure. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to the appropriate GAAP measure is also included in footnote 1.

About FirstFlight, Inc.

FirstFlight is an aviation services company. Our operations are conducted in three core segments: aircraft charter management activities, fixed based operations (FBOs), and aircraft maintenance. Charter management is the business of providing on-call passenger air transportation. A fixed base operation is the primary provider of services such as fueling and hangaring of private/general aviation aircraft operators. The aircraft maintenance business is conducted at our FAA-certificated facilities. (www.fflt.com)

This release may include projections of future results and forward-looking statements as that term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. All statements that are included in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Although the management of FirstFlight believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, there are no assurances that such expectations will prove to have been correct.

1 Explanation of Adjusted EBITDA, a Non-GAAP Financial Measure

The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as adjusted for stock based compensation expense and other income. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA, which is a financial measure that is not defined by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), is a useful performance metric because it eliminates significant non-cash and/or one-time charges to earnings. It is important to note that non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted EBITDA should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or superior to, net income, cash flows, or other measures of financial performance in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA is as follows for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006.

 

For the Year Ended
December 31,

2007

 

2006
 
Net income (loss) $ 184,454 $ (3,336,759 )
 
Non-cash charges and credits
Other expense (income) 44,690 (157,500 )
Interest expense 30,530 1,150,104
Interest (income) (55,221 ) (31,188 )
Stock compensation expense 415,784 831,096
Depreciation and amortization   390,165     406,471  
 
Adjusted EBITDA $ 1,010,402   $ (1,137,776 )
 

Segment Performance

 

Revenue

Year Ended
December 31,

2007 2006
Charter $ 38,231,943 $ 31,243,500
FBO 5,905,715 4,988,553
Maintenance   2,970,269     2,980,371  
Total revenue $ 47,107,927   $ 39,212,424  

Operating Results

Year Ended
December 31,

2007 2006
Charter $ 1,561,689 $ 658,798
FBO 308,845 15,668
Maintenance   (32,184 )   (242,358 )
Division profit 1,838,350 432,108
Corporate expense   1,633,897     2,805,651  
Operating profit (loss) 204,453 (2,373,543 )
Other income (expense), net (44,690 ) 155,700
Interest income (expense), net 24,691 (1,118,916 )
Net income (loss) $ 184,454   $ (3,336,759 )
FIRSTFLIGHT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
 

ASSETS

 

December 31,
2007

 

December 31,
2006

CURRENT ASSETS

Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,400,152 $ 1,181,870
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $26,721 and $57,722, respectively
5,226,006 5,083,524
Inventories 324,314 193,413
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   472,750     280,923  
Total current assets   8,423,222     6,739,730  
 

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, net of accumulated depreciation of $361,577 and $272,788, respectively

  1,169,316     1,286,376  
 
 

OTHER ASSETS

Deposits 36,800 26,500
Note receivable 150,000
Intangible assets - trade names 420,000 420,000
Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $489,274 and $275,936, respectively
150,726 364,064
Goodwill   4,194,770     4,194,770  
Total other assets   4,802,296     5,155,334  
TOTAL ASSETS $ 14,394,834   $ 13,181,440  
 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

CURRENT LIABILITIES

Accounts payable $ 6,252,043 $ 5,627,406
Customer deposits 532,397 398,785
Accrued expenses 551,074 532,988
Notes payable - current portion   126,663     203,823  
Total current liabilities 7,462,177 6,763,002
 

LONG-TERM LIABILITIES

Notes payable - less current portion   296,788     393,805  
Total liabilities   7,758,965     7,156,807  
 

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Preferred stock - $.001 par value; authorized 9,999,154; none issued and outstanding
- -
Common stock - $.001 par value; authorized 100,000,000; 36,582,987 and 36,583,793 issued and outstanding, respectively
36,583 36,584
Additional paid-in capital 18,825,760 18,398,977
Accumulated deficit   (12,226,474 )   (12,410,928 )
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY   6,635,869     6,024,633  
 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 14,394,834   $ 13,181,440  

FIRSTFLIGHT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
 

For the Year Ended
December 31,

2007   2006
 

REVENUE

$ 47,107,927 $ 39,212,424

COST OF REVENUES

  39,455,287     32,561,499  

GROSS PROFIT

7,652,640 6,650,925
 

SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

  7,448,187     9,024,468  
 

OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)

  204,453     (2,373,543 )
 

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), net (101,328 ) 155,700
GAIN ON SALE OF FIXED ASSETS 56,638
INTEREST INCOME 55,221 31,188
INTEREST EXPENSE   (30,530 )   (1,150,104 )
 
TOTAL OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)   (19,999 )   (963,216 )

NET INCOME (LOSS)

$ 184,454   $ (3,336,759 )
 
Deemed dividend to preferred stockholders:
Amortization of discount (2,831,303 )
 
Amortization of deferred financing costs (1,437,194 )
 
Preferred stock dividend (171,260 )

Net income (loss) applicable to common stockholders

$ 184,454   $ (7,776,516 )
 
Basic and Diluted Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share applicable to common stockholders
$ 0.01   $ (0.34 )
 
Weighted Average Number of Common Shares
Outstanding Basic and Diluted   36,585,305     22,661,039  

Contacts

FirstFlight, Inc.
Ron Ricciardi, 570-457-3400
or
Investor Relations:
Porter, LeVay & Rose, Inc.
Linda Decker, VP Investor Relations
Jeffrey Myhre, VP Editorial
212-564-4700

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