This strategic acquisition for FlyHouse comes as it prepares to launch its app for customers. By utilising advanced technology, FlyHouse plans to enhance “the overall customer journey” and “simplify” the booking process. The firm says it has a “strong commitment” to offering transparent pricing, real-time availability and streamlined booking procedures.

Jack E. Lambert Jr., CEO of FlyHouse, said: “Acquiring JetASAP is a monumental step forward for FlyHouse. This integration not only enhances our service offerings but also aligns perfectly with our mission to transform the aviation industry. We are dedicated to leveraging JetASAP’s technology and expertise to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers and stakeholders. 

“This acquisition is a game-changer, and we are eager to integrate their platform with our upcoming app, setting new standards in private jet travel. Our goal is to make private jet travel more accessible, transparent, and efficient for our customers.”

Lisa Kiefer Sayer, founder and CEO of JetASAP, has now joined FlyHouse’s leadership team. 

“I can’t wait to jump in and get started,” said Kiefer Sayer. “In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be working closely with the team to scale both the FlyHouse app and JetASAP, building on our solid foundations. Together, we will be stronger and move even faster to reimagine the future of aviation.”

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Camber, which was named SimpleCharters until its rebrand at the end of last year, has been operating since 2012, offering clients real-time pricing on charter bookings.

The company is run by founder and CEO Charles Denault, who will take on the title of Technology director, Camber under the Vista umbrella. In his role, Denault will be “setting the future of air mobility through a tech-enabled shared economy model,” according to his LinkedIn.

Thomas Flohr, founder and chairman, Vista Global told Corporate Jet Investor (CJI) that integrating Camber’s technology will improve the efficiency of instant booking options on the XO app and drive automation across Vista’s approved operators.

Flohr added: “Providing clients with the simplest and most digitalised private aviation solutions is key to Vista’s unrivaled customer offering and strengthens its position as the world’s largest on-demand charter provider. Vista’s commitment to constantly finding new and innovative solutions is behind the vision of digitising the entire private aviation process. Its growing customer base demands fast and seamless access to flight services through digital platforms and no longer accepts the hassle of traditional charter booking.”

The deal closed late last month for an undisclosed sum.

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The new base includes 75,000sqft of hangar space, 40,000sqft of office and back shop space and additional adjacent land for future growth.

The estimated opening date of the facility is the first quarter of 2023, with plans to later construct a new paint facility at the site.

 Key aircraft that will be serviced at the facility include Cessna, Gulfstream, Bombardier and Embraer jets. Jet East estimates bringing 250 jobs to the area as a result of the new location.

“The facility at SVH offers an amazing opportunity for Jet East and allows us to expand our capacity, capabilities and reach within a key region of the US,” said Stephen Maiden, CEO and president, Jet East. “The facility is in impeccable condition. The energy for this new endeavor is high and this is truly a milestone moment for the Jet East team and the customers we serve and support.”

Gama Aviation acquired Jet East in January last year for $8m to grow its market capabilities and close to double its US maintenance business.

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The rebrand reflects the focus on the European MRO network that Dassault now owns, including “one-stop-shop” MRO facilities in Geneva and Farnborough.  

“Customers will see a new name, but the commitment to applying advanced technology and the ultimate in service quality will remain the same as ever,” said Franck Madignier, president, DABS. “In fact, since the acquisition by Dassault, we have invested heavily to expand to new locations, upgrade facilities and as always stay at the leading edge of the MRO business.”

Other service locations include Basel, Lugano and Sion in Switzerland, Paris Le Bourget, Lisbon, London Luton and Luanda, Angola.

Dassault acquired Tag Aviation’s European MRO facilities in February 2019, a year after talks about a buy-out began. Just three years ago, Dassault rebranded TAG Aviation’s MRO business to TAG Maintenance Services (TMS).

Due to all its acquisitions in recent years, Dassault Aviation has added 19 new maintenance facilities and 1,000 additional service professionals to its growing maintenance network.

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But the acquisition of Mayo Aviation by Priester Aviation, announced this week, stands out. Even though the two companies are strikingly similar.

Andy Priester, chair and CEO is the third generation to run Priester Aviation since it launched in 1945. It manages 57 aircraft.

Mayo Aviation, which operates and maintains 17 aircraft, was founded in Colorado in 1978 by CEO Bill Mayo’s parents. 

With so much in common, it is not surprising that Bill and Andy have been friends for more than 20 years. During breakfast at the Air Charter Safety Foundation conference in April, Andy asked Bill to call him if he was ever interested in selling. To his surprise, Bill said they should talk. 

“This is a deal born out of friendship. Our two companies are cut from the same cloth. This is a very different to most acquisitions,” says Priester. “We recognise that we have two very talented teams and two businesses built on relationships. Customers have trusted Bill and his team for decades, in the same way our customers trust Priester.”

The two companies will be run separately and meet regularly to discuss common problems and share ideas and best practices. Bill says integrating operating software would be a good example, where the two companies could share resources.

“There will be situations where we can use the two businesses to address the needs of customers – Priester management customers may want to use Mayo’s Part 145 Repair Station, for example,” says Andy.

He says one way they will judge the success of the acquisition is retaining customers. “This week, Bill and I met with every one of Bill’s customers and I said we are going to lean into everything that Bill and his family have done for the last 40 years,” he says. 

Mayo’s longest running customer is Flight For Life Colorado – which has been with the company for 43 years.

Andy says Priester may look at other similar acquisitions in a few years’ time. “There are quite a few operators that were launched in the 1980s and 1990s where kids do not want to take over and selling to private equity does not feel right,” says Andy. “In a couple of years, we may be interested in partnering up with the same foundation of taking care of their people and having similar family values.” This could include international management companies. 

Bill says that Mayo had received numerous offers – especially in the past few years. “I care too much about our team, family and customers to sell to anyone,” he says. “When I visited Priester and walked through the front door of Andy’s business it felt just like I walked through the front door of my shop. There is something different about businesses with the founder’s name on the door.”

The deal is expected to close in the next month. Bill is planning to stay beyond that. He adds: “I have agreed to stay until Andy tells me to leave.”

The post Priester/Mayo – a family acquisition – One Minute Week appeared first on Corporate Jet Investor.

The Chicago-headquartered Priester and Colorado-based Mayo will continue to have separate brands while sharing resources to be more efficient without reducing staff from either firm. Both firms have been family owned for generations.

“For other companies, success comes from collecting assets and focusing on the bottom line,” said Andy Priester, CEO and chairman, Priester Aviation (pictured). “For us, success is found in the service we provide and the relationships we build. This is an opportunity to blend two incredible, talented teams who are focused on building and enhancing relationships.”

The CEO said that the acquisition will allow Priester to do more for its clients and from that “success in the marketplace will follow”.

Bill Mayo, CEO, Mayo Aviation said the focus on the partnership is to build upon the relationships already established by both firms. He will continue to be “an integral part” of Mayo and continue in a leadership role after the acquisition.

He continued: “In Priester, we see a company that focuses on the same elements we do. Our parents and families understood that this is a customer-based business. The legacy that they built is on display every day in every interaction.” Mayo added: “We are proud to enter into a partnership that will grow that.”

The combined fleets of the companies will increase the nation-wide scale of Priester’s charter offerings. Over the next months, the companies will share best practices and plan how best serve their shared clients.

The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, is expected to be completed over the new few months.  

In July, Priester announced it was relaunching its Centerline Jet Card in response to market demand, having previously entered five new aircraft into charter service from its managed fleet.

Acquisition players – at a glance:

Priester Aviation:

• Founded in 1945.
• Family-owned for three generations.
• Fleet of 19 aircraft (AMSTAT) including Beechcraft Hawker 4000, Bombardier Challenger 300, Bombardier Global 6000, Cessna Citation XLS+ and Gulfstream G550.

Mayo Aviation:

• Founded in 1978.
• Family-owned for two generations.
• Fleet of 13 aircraft (AMSTAT) including Beechcraft Hawker 800XP, Beechcraft King Air 200, Bombardier Challenger 300, Cessna Citation CJ3 and Gulfstream G450.

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The acquisition will allow Heads Up Technologies to “leverage [its] collective lighting solutions to meet critical OEM and operator needs across the entire aviation market,” according to Robert Harshaw, president and CEO, Heads Up Technology. “STG Aerospace’s concept-to-certification capability and extensive intellectual property are excellent complements to Heads Up Technologies’ portfolio of lighting innovations,” he said.

“Combining the expertise and products of both Heads Up Technologies and STG Aerospace makes an exciting solution set,” said Grant Bennett, CEO, STG Aerospace. “Designing high-quality emergency and cabin lighting components and systems that utilise our deep expertise and proprietary technology to create innovative solutions is our goal.”

STG Aerospace, based in both Miami and Cwmbran in the UK, was established in 1995 and designed the first photoluminescent emergency guidance systems for aircraft. The company’s turnover dropped from £13.1m in 2019 to £7.7m in 2020, according to its latest results for the year ending 31st December 2020, while its pre-tax profit decreased from £3.4m to £506,000 in the same period. This marks the first deal for Heads Up Technologies since it was acquired by private equity firm JLL Partners in 2019, adding to JLL’s aviation portfolio which includes MRO Aviation Technical Services (ATS).

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It will also use Skycharter’s 100,000sqft (9,300sqm) hangar and a newly renovated FBO terminal at its Toronto-Pearson base.

Alan Cross, vice president, sales and marketing, IEAG told Corporate Jet Investor (CJI) the two firms are complementary. He said: “The integration of the partnership is a very good fit in terms of what they offer and what we offer. It’s a congruent fit and it will be a real complement to our service offering.”

IEAG offers aircraft refurbishment and technical services and has maintenance capabilities and FBO services at airports across Canada, including an Authorised Service Facility at Toronto-Pearson which has supported Cessna aircraft for more than 40 years.

Cross added: “The timing was right for both parties, and both parties capitalised on that opportunity.” He said the company is delighted to pair with “one of Toronto’s longest standing FBO and charter providers”.

IEAG’s parent company, IMP Group, made the acquisition for an undisclosed amount. Skycharter will continue operating under its own name as part of the IEAG umbrella of business aviation companies.

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The deal was first announced in August last year, in an attempt by CAG to move into business aircraft support. AASL, which is a Part 145 provider as well as an interiors and paint specialist, will continue operating under its current name.

Alan Barnes, head of operations, CAG said AASL is “a company that has developed a great reputation in business aircraft support with a prestigious customer base”.

Barnes added that AASL’s paint facility at its Hawarden Airport, Chester is an area of “immediate investment, involving the modification and widening of the hangar doors to accommodate bigger aircraft”. This includes the larger business jets like the Bombardier Challenger and Global range.

Warren Crook, CEO, CAG said: “Corporate aviation is a dynamic sector that is constantly evolving and attracting new investment. This sector perfectly aligns to our business model, sits well in our business plan, and we are pleased to be entering into this market through Aerocare.”

CAG has appointed Peter Mankelow as the new MD of AASL. Mankelow has spent the past eight years at BAE Systems, a British aerospace, military and security company based in London, as head of maintenance and operations roles. Before that, he worked at commercial aviation firm Flybe.

The acquisition of AASL will allow CAG, which was founded in November 2020, to utilise Hawarden Airport when sourcing and delivering its aviation solutions, says the company. The airport is used to undertake work on aircraft including Hawker, King Air and Embraer Phenom 300 for leading charter companies and private owners.

The post Complete Aircraft Group finalises acquisition of MRO Aerocare appeared first on Corporate Jet Investor.

The acquisition, which was first announced in November 2021, comprises $850m in cash, about 46.36m shares of Viasat common stock and the assumption of $3.4bn of net debt. It will integrate the assets of both firms, including spectrum, satellite and terrestrial services.

Viasat said the acquisition will enhance the scale and scope of the combined company’s services and increase the pace of innovation while delivering higher connectivity speeds and more bandwidth.

Richard Baldridge, president and CEO, Viasat, said: “The overwhelming support of our shareholders confirms that this transformative combination is in the best interests of our company, shareholders, and allows for significant future growth in revenue, EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amoritization) and free cash flow.”

Baldridge added: “The combination of our unique teams, technologies, and resources will provide an incredible foundation to advance broadband communications and drive greater performance, reliability, and value for our customers.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Inmarsat’s , subject to adjustments, and about 46.36m Viasat shares.

Until the acquisition is finalised, both companies are continuing to operate independent of each other.

In March, Viasat and Inmarsat made an to increase highly-skilled jobs and research and development investment in the UK space sector.

PJT Partners is serving as financial advisor to Viasat, with Latham & Watkins and Linklaters as its legal advisers.

Barclays, J.P. Morgan Securities and Trinity Advisers are acting as financial advisors to Inmarsat, while Kirkland & Ellis, Clifford Chance and Steptoe & Johnson are serving as its legal advisers.

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