Island Express halted all regular and charter services.
What We Know:
- Island Express decided to halt services due to the unfortunate death of NBA icon Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, six other passengers, and the helicopter pilot.
- Furthermore, on Thursday, Island Express released a statement on the company website. The company shared: “All services (regular and charter) were immediately suspended following the tragic accident on Sunday, January 26… The shock of the accident affected all staff, and management decided that service would be suspended until such time as it was deemed appropriate for staff and customers.”
- Also, Island Express released a report, January 27, 2020; in the statement, the company notified on the tragic incident that happened. Island Express detailed, “One of their helicopters, N72EX, Sikorsky S76, was involved in an accident on Sunday, January 26th in the Calabasas area of LA County”.
- Finally, the company added, “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Our top priority is providing assistance to the families of the passengers and the pilot. We hope that you will respect their privacy at this extremely difficult time. The pilot, Ara Zobayan, was our chief pilot. Ara has been with the company for over 10 years and has over 8,000 flight hours.”
The death of Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and the six other passengers plus helicopter pilot Zobayan, has saddened the world; and, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the Island Express staff.
