Operator Updates

EmreAir Charter Solutions (EA Jet Charters), an air charter broker based in Teterboro, NJ, has agreed to an acquisition by charter operator Altius Aviation. Headquartered in Syracuse, NY and operating throughout the Northeast with locations at the Portland Jetport, ME, the Manchester Airport, NH and the Essex County Airport, NJ, Altius Aviation operates 7 aircraft for charter including turborops, light and midsize jets. Henry Laughlin, President & CEO of Altius commented: “We are delighted to welcome the team from EmreAir Charter Solutions to the Altius family. Throughout the negotiations it became very apparent that the EmreAir assets and personnel would create significant synergy throughout our activities.  The net effect to Altius is accelerated growth and a better experience for both our retail charter customers and the broker community”. Speaking from Teterboro, NJ, Omar Diaz, Director of EmreAir stated:  “Merging our experience and passion with Altius Aviation is a logical next step for the EmreAir team.  Altius has proved to be a highly capable operator with significant nationwide growth potential.  We look forward to the future as we achieve our goals with both Altius and the Laughlin Group companies”.  The acquisition will see the founders of EmreAir become equity stake holders in the larger company. Altius Aviation LLC is part of the Laughlin Group family owned aviation company.  Founded in 1949, group activities span FBO operations, maintenance, special missions design and install, avionics STC development, airline handling, de-icing, aircraft charter and aircraft sales. Altius operates seven aircraft for charter based throughout the Northeast US; two Learjet 60, a Learjet 31, King Air B200 and three Pilatus PC-12. The full Alitus charter fleet is ONLY available in FlightList PRO.

With a marked expansion, Blink Air Taxi Service has acquired Italian operator MyJet and its 3 Citation Mustang jets, along with its maintenance facility in northern Italy.  Blink also acquired Blackbushe Airport west of London, which has been its home the past four years.  Blink's increased fleet of 9 Mustangs now is 30% of the European air taxi fleet.

According to Blink, the acquisition of MyJet demonstrates that Blink is leading the European air taxi industry in consolidating operations across the key business aviation hubs of London, Paris, Nice, Geneva and now northern Italy, including Milan. It increases Blink’s capacity and will allow even more efficient operations of the market leading air taxi service. Initially, the MyJet aircraft will continue to operate under the existing livery before gradually being brought under the Blink brand.

Charter operator Solairus Aviation is adding a Gulfstream V, registered N516HG and based Nashua, NH to it's Part 135 charter certificate.  The ultra-long-range jet will be immediately available for charter. With 14 seats and sleeping arrangements for 6, the G-V features cabin entertainment and information amenities with a 16" credenza screen, 6x8 individual screens, Bose headsets, Wi-fi internet on board, satellite phone and fax and Xbox 360. The G-V addition makes a total of 39 aircraft in Solairus Aviation's charter fleet nationwide, which includes a wide variety of aircraft including five Global Express XRS', a new Gulfstream 650, two Gulfstream 550's, a Falcon 900EX Easy, other Falcons and Gulfstreams along with the full fleet of sizes and capabilities. FlightList PRO is the only service showing all 39 Solairus Aviation charter aircraft.

Charter operator Key Air has added a long range Falcon 7X, registration N221HJ, to its Northeastern US-based charter fleet.  The aircraft becomes available May 22 and is home-based OXC Oxford, CT.  N221HJ was formerly registered CS-DTS and operated for charter by Masterjet, based Paris, France. FlightList PRO shows this Falcon 7x is one of only 7 available for charter in the U.S. and the only one in the Northeast.  According to Key Air the new 14 passenger aircraft comes complete with a satellite phone and fax, airshow display and is Wi-Fi enabled.  The fully-equipped galley includes a microwave oven, convection oven and espresso maker to easily accommodate lighter snacks or full-course meals. Its state-of-the-art entertainment system features DVD, CD and MP3 players, headphones, dual widescreen and two individual cabin monitors.

“The addition of this pristine, high precision aircraft will benefit our operations and provide a great option for the discerning charter client”, said Alan DePeters, Key Air President and CEO. “We are extremely happy with the growth we have experienced to our managed aircraft fleet. Within the first five months of the year, Key Air has added four ultra-long-range aircraft to our charter certificate offering clients a broader range of charter aircraft to choose from. We look forward to continuing this momentum by providing unique, personalized services to the aircraft owner and to our clients who charter the aircraft.”

The Falcon 7X joins a list of ultra-long-range aircraft on Key Air’s charter certificate including the Global 5000, Gulfstream GV, G450 and GIVSPs. The charter fleet also includes the Falcon 2000LX, 900EX, Challenger 604, Hawker 800XP and Learjet 45 aircraft. Not shown elsewhere, the entire Key Air fleet is available in FlightList PRO.

"Is the private jet charter market ready to be disrupted?" Forbes.com just published an in-depth article analyzing the current jet charter market, players, technologies and future. Many charter companies - operators and brokers - are named in the article which is a look at leveraging technologies to make a more efficient consumer market, and the actual practicalities and complexities of booking and managing individual charters.  Author Doug Bollan also relates his experiences trying to search and book a charter through different methods. This is a very interesting read for anyone involved in the jet charter market today as well as private charter consumers. http://www.forbes.com/sites/douggollan/2015/05/13/is-the-private-jet-market-ready-to-be-disrupted/

Announced yesterday, charter operator Komar Aviation Group in southern California is transitioning the company name to its existing corporate name, Macair, Inc. "The change is due to the significant expansion of our business activities," said Dori Abouzeid, CEO and President.  "The past year has been an incredible one for our team as we continue to deliver outstanding success for our partners through the increase of international charters and clients, the addition of more aircraft on our fleet, including a G-V, and Macair Flight Support, the exclusive FBO at Erbil International Airport [Iraq]." Unchanged will be the company tax ID, address, phone numbers, staff and business terms.  Email addresses will convert to @macairinc.com. Macair currently operates three aircraft for charter on certificate # K4DA454J, based in southern California at SNA Santa Ana and LGB Long Beach.

Charter operator Sun Air Jets announces the addition of their 16 passenger G-IV to charter based CMA Camarillo, CA.  The Gulfstream IV registration N701DB has a new 2014 interior refurbishment and complimentary Wi-Fi on board.  Under Sun Air Jets, N701DB touts worldwide FAA charter authority and all four top auditor ratings. The Sun Air Jets entire fleet and operator information is available in FlightList PRO.

In a deal to create the world's second-largest corporate aircraft operator, Luxaviation, a business jet charter and management group based in Luxembourg, today is acquiring Zurich-based ExecuJet Aviation. Under the terms of the deal, Luxaviation will acquire the entire share capital of ExecuJet, which has operations in Asia, Australasia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and in Europe.  Its fleet of about 180 managed aircraft will bring the number of aircraft operated by the combined entity to more than 250.  This is second only the the fleet of 700 operated worldwide by US-based NetJets. ExecuJet, operating since 1991, offers aircraft charter, management, and maintenance, and is based at 19 airports around the world. Luxaviation has grown by acquiring four European operators since 2009, including London Executive Aviation (LEA) in 2014.  Last week it agreed to a deal with China Minsheng Investments, a Chinese investment fund that is the biggest shareholder in business aircraft operator Minsheng International Jet. Luxaviation's strategy with its acquisitions has been to preserve their operational independence while benefiting from economies of scale in purchasing high-cost items such as fuel, insurance and training. With the two latest deals, Luxaviation is making strides towards its stated goal of 500 aircraft under management by 2019. - courtesy Financial Times, full article here. Luxaviation and ExecuJet charter fleet details are available in FlightList PRO.

Aero Jet Services has added the Gulfstream IV-SP N267LG to its charter fleet based KSDL Scottsdale, AZ.  The 12- passenger aircraft features a recently refurbished unique cabin layout, and passenger amenities including DVD/CD/Playstation 3, Airshow 400, and WiFi with Talk and Text. In operation for 17 years, Aero Jet Services' charter fleet now numbers 9 light, midsize and heavy jets, all based in Arizona at KSDL Scottsdale Municipal Airport.  Aero Jet Services operator and fleet details are available in FlightList PRO. A January 2015 Jetset Magazine article on Aero Jet Services.