Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. (commonly called Universal or Universal Weather) is a
privately held
A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...
company headquartered in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
that provides products and services for the
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
industry. Its customers include owners and operators of
business jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...
s for corporate and personal air travel.
The company offers products and services including international
flight planning
Flight planning is the process of producing a flight plan to describe a proposed aircraft flight. It involves two safety-critical aspects: fuel calculation, to ensure that the aircraft can safely reach the destination, and compliance with air t ...
and scheduling, weather briefings, fueling programs,
aircraft ground handling
In aviation, aircraft ground handling defines the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground and (usually) parked at a Gate (airport), terminal gate of an airport.
Overview
Many airlines subcontract ground handling to airports, han ...
, and
aviation security
Airport security includes the techniques and methods used in an attempt to protect passengers, staff, aircraft, and airport property from malicious harm, crime, terrorism, and other threats.
Aviation security is a combination of measures and hum ...
.
It is the oldest company in the corporate flight planning industry.
Universal Weather was founded in 1959 by Tom Evans. Greg Evans, his son, is Universal Weather's chairman and owner.[ Ralph Vasami serves as the company's ]chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
.[ The company operated in 50+ locations in 20 countries as of 2015.][
]
History
Universal Weather was founded in Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
in 1959 by Tom Evans, a former United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
officer and meteorologist
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
. Universal Weather was originally based out of Dallas Love Field
Dallas Love Field is a city-owned public airport northwest of downtown Dallas, Texas., effective April 10, 2008 It was Dallas' main airport until 1974 when Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) opened. Love Field covers an area of a ...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
[ and was the first company to provide customized weather forecasting for business aviation.][ The company moved to ]Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
a year later.[ For its first ten years Universal Weather was only involved in weather forecasting.] New services were added gradually as the business aviation industry grew.[
Greg Evans, son of founder Tom Evans, became company president and chief executive officer in 2001.] He had worked at the company for the previous 22 years and was responsible for the company's prior expansion into Europe and Asia.[ Ralph Vasami became president of the company in 2004.] Vasami had worked at Universal Weather since he had interned at the company's New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
weather office and had most recently served as its chief operating officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
. He would later become chief executive officer of the company.[
In 2007, Universal Weather donated flight planning and weather to Barrington Irving's then-world record solo flight around the world.] Universal Weather's services assisted in preparing Irving before his trip as the youngest person to fly solo around the world, and also monitored his travels during the expedition, tracking his location and storms, and coordinating with foreign airports for permission to land.[
Universal Weather acquired Air Chef Holdings, an American in-flight catering and concierge firm, in 2011. The company launched its ]mobile application
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on de ...
, Universal Mobile, for free in 2012, later updating it to be current with industry trends and making it accessible for iPads.
In 2014, Universal Weather assisted Irving again providing complete flight logistics to Irving's Flying Classroom endeavor, a nine-week program of aviation expedition and education spanning over three continents. The program also involves scheduled informational stops to Universal Weather's ground support locations.
Company brands
Universal Weather and Aviation Inc. owns and operates two brands that specialize in various services related to the aviation transport industry:
Universal Aviation
Universal Aviation is the ground support division of Universal Weather. Universal Weather opened its first ground handling offices in the mid-1970s in Mexico and Spain. In the late 1990s, Universal Weather began opening a network of ground handling offices. By 2016, the brand operates over 50 locations in 20 countries.
Air Culinaire Worldwide
Air Culinaire Worldwide is the in-flight catering provider owned by Universal Weather. The culinary brand operates 21 catering kitchens around the world.
Memberships and affiliations
*National Business Aviation Association
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is a non-profit, 501(c)(6) organization based in Washington, DC, United States. NBAA’s mission, according to the non-profit data and transparency organization GuideStar, is: “to foster an en ...
, Inc. (NBAA)
*European Business Aviation Association
European Business Aviation Association or EBAA, is a non-profit association based in Belgium that has existed since 1977. Its 684 member companies span all aspects of the business aviation sector in Europe and elsewhere. The EBAA's aim is to prom ...
(EBAA)
*Middle East Business Aviation Association
Middle East Business Aviation Association or MEBAA, is a non-profit corporation based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simp ...
(MEBAA)
*Asian Business Aviation Association
Asian Business Aviation Association or AsBAA, is a non-profit corporation based in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HK ...
(AsBAA)[
]
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
Official site
Aerospace companies of the United States
Companies based in Houston
Business services companies established in 1959
Fixed-base operators
1959 establishments in Texas