Business at Akron/Canton's Castle Aviation Takes Off.

Business Editors

NORTH CANTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003

Local Air-Freight and Passenger Service Company Soars During a

Stellar Year; Freight service skyrockets 92 percent

North Canton's Castle Aviation, a local leader in on demand charter flights, announces a stellar take-off in both their air freight and air passenger services. During 2002, the company's scheduled freight service business skyrocketed to a booming 92 percent while Castle's passenger business, Northstar Business Aviation, has increased 94 percent over the previous year. On-demand air freight business was up 15 percent.

"We attribute the growth of our business primarily to our superior customer service," said Michael H. Grossmann, President of Castle Aviation and Northstar Business Aviation. "The needs of our clients are our number one priority. It's the little things we do that set us apart from our competition. From Northstar's personal pick up and drop off service to Castle's ground transportation service, we go above and beyond to please and satisfy our customers."

Another reason for the upswing of Castle's business is their relationship with Purolator USA, a freight distribution company. Castle Aviation joined forces to ship United States custom freight to America's Canadian customers over a year ago. Beginning last December at the Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Castle Aviation started flying daily to Hamilton, Ontario shipping critical freight from Kennametal, one of Purolator's Cleveland customers.

Castle Aviation has been an instrumental player in the growth of Akron/Canton Airport. In November 2002, Castle Aviation, announced their appointment as Akron/Canton Airport's first-official air cargo handler. Sensing a need for stricter air cargo handler regulations, Grossmann approached the airport about developing a list of minimum requirements that all handlers must meet. All air freight handlers at the Akron/Canton Airport now have to meet specific minimum requirements to handle cargo at the airport.

North Canton's Castle Aviation specializes in on-demand charter flights. Castle Aviation's charter department features both priority air freight and executive/passenger travel (Northstar Business Aviation). Conveniently located at the Akron/Canton Airport, Castle is just minutes away from most northeast Ohio airports, including Cleveland, Youngstown and Mansfield. Castle Aviation and Northstar Business Aviation are Licensed Air Carriers certified by both the FAA and the Canadian Transportation Agency. They can fly anywhere in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. For more information visit www.castleair.com and www.northstarair.com.