November 22, 2024
Vista Global has officially added broker Apollo Jets to its XO unit. It also adds a minority stake in charter operator and management company Talon Air.
Vista Global has added over $100 million in private jet charter sales and 36 aircraft to its portfolio. Its deal to acquire broker Apollo Jets and a minority interest in the management company and charter operator Talon Air recently closed, a spokesperson confirmed to Private Jet Card Comparisons.
The move gives Dubai-based Vista Global a fleet of 168 private jets across its four operators – Vista Jet, Ltd., XOJET Aviation, Red Wing Aviation, and Talon Air. It markets them under its XO and VistaJet labels as well as third-party brokers. The Apollo brand will remain as a unit of XO. The deal also makes Vista Global a significant player in aircraft management.
| Company | Year | What Happened |
| VistaJet | 2004 | Thomas Flohr launches VistaJet in Europe |
| Vista Global Holding | 2018 | Formed in Dubai as a parent company for Malta-based VistaJet |
| XOJET Aviation | 2018 | Vista Global acquires XOJET, splitting it into broker XO while retaining a minority interest in operator XOJET Aviation |
| JetSmarter | 2019 | Acquires the by-the-seat broker, merging it into XO |
| Red Wing Aviation | 2020 | Acquires a minority interest in the light jet operator, acquiring 15 Citation light jets, with plans to grow its light jet fleet to 50 aircraft |
| Apollo Jets | 2021 | Acquires Apollo Jets, a large U.S.-based charter broker with estimated sales of over $100 million |
| Talon Air | 2021 | Acquired a minority interest in U.S. charter operator and management company Talon Air, which was majority-owned by Apollo Jets. |
Still, that wasn’t all. Earlier this week, Vista Global announced plans to take delivery of 12 Bombardier Global 7500s and 10 Challenger 350s over the next two years. The order carries a book value of over $1 billion.
The move sets up a four-way battle royal with NetJets, Inc., Directional Aviation, including Flexjet, Sentient Jet, FXAIR, and PrivateFly, and Wheels Up.
Directional and Wheels Up have also announced plans to enter the urban mobility segment. Earlier this year, Directional purchased helicopter operator Associated Aircraft Group, which sells shares and jet cards in the Northeast U.S. Yesterday, Wheels Up said it would partner with Bell Textron to begin a helicopter service by the end of 2021.
Last year, Talon Air clocked 9,850 flight hours, ranking it as the 14th largest U.S. Part 135 operator. We currently rank Vista Global as the fourth largest for-hire provider (Part 135 and 91k) in North America. Adding Talon Air gives the group just over 80,000 flight hours in North America based on Argus 2020 numbers. Wheels Up’s January acquisition of Mountain Aviation pulled it into a virtual second-place tie. Directional’s operator unit, Flexjet, also clocked 135,000 annual flight hours last year. Market and global leader NetJets clocked 336,252 flight hours in North America last year.
You can track mergers, acquisitions, and launches at our updated DEAL BOOK.
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