Vista Global agrees to buy private jet charter operator Air Hamburg

Air Hamburg

Vista Global’s proposed acquisition of Air Hamburg adds 44 private jets for members of its XO and VistaJet membership programs

Another week, another deal. Vista Global has entered an agreement to buy Air Hamburg, bringing 44 owned and managed private jets into its fleet. If successful, it will increase Vista’s fleet size to over 240 aircraft.

Here’s how much Wheels Up paid for each of its 5 acquisitions

Wheels Up Kenny Dichter

Kenny Dichter and Wheels Up doled out less than $100 million in cash to build the second-largest private jet operator with a $2 billion valuation

When Wheels Up’s acquired 5th-biggest Part 135 charter operator Mountain Aviation in January, it pushed the group past Directional Aviation’s Flexjet as the second-largest for-hire private aircraft operator in the U.S. For Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter, it was a day at the beach compared to another cold New York winter morning in early 2019. At that point, Wheels Up didn’t operate a single aircraft. Founded in 2013, its owned and leased fleet was outsourced to Gama Aviation Signature. Wheels Up was a big brand. Yet, it was merely a marketing organization selling memberships onto what was then mainly a fleet of King Air 350i turboprops.

Biggest Part 135 private jet charter companies for 2020 ranked

private jet runway

Argus TRAQPak’s list of the largest U.S. private jet charter operators highlights the active mergers and acquisitions market

Argus TRAQPak’s list of the 25 largest U.S. Part 135 private jet operators ranked by flight hours highlights the industry’s frenetic merger and acquisition activity. Ten of the private jet charter operators were involved in transactions. Part 135 includes on-demand and jet card flights

Private jet charter operators ripe for mergers and consolidation

private aviation mergers

Expect more mergers and consolidation with Part 135 private jet charter operators, says one investment bank

The Part 135 private jet charter market is ripe for consolidation and outside investment. That’s according to Brooks Crenshaw, managing director of Balmoral Advisors.

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