Bellair acquires Red Wing from Vista, rebrands as Jet Excellence

Vista Global has sold Red Wing Aviation to Bellair, a North Carolina-based charter operator.

Following its acquisition of Red Wing, Bellair has rebranded to Jet Excellence.

The acquisition has not been publicly announced.

However, the Bellair website states, “BellAir and Red Wing Aviation are now Jet Excellence. Together, we’re elevating private aviation with a unified name and an even greater commitment to excellence.”

A spokesperson for Vista Global tells Private Jet Card Comparisons, “Bellair has acquired the Red Wing Aviation Part 135 certificate and will be operating the fleet of Citation X aircraft.”

Vista Global has been attempting to sell its Citation X fleet for a while, as reported by Private Jet Card Comparisons in August 2024.

However, a rumored deal with Ultimate Jet never happened.

The super-midsize jets were acquired when it bought XOJet in 2018.

There are around 20 Citation Xs that are believed to be moving to Jet Excellence.

Vista Global acquired Red Wing in 2020.

At the time, it planned to expand into the light jet market.

An executive with Jet Excellence declined to comment.

Its president, Michael Vargo, was a former executive at Mountain Air before its acquisition by Wheels Up.

He then continued at the Delta Air Lines-backed private jet flight provider.

Mountain Air and Wheels Up were large Citation X operators.

At one point, Wheels Up had more than 50 of the type of certificate it held.

The Citation Xs were the backbone of its discounted transcontinental capped rate program, which was phased out last year.

Vargo was named CEO of Bellair in January 2024, per his LinkedIn profile.

Bellair had not previously had a jet card or fractional programs.

Instead, it was believed to be focused mainly on the wholesale market.