Kenn Ricci Zanite Archives

Embraer in talks to merge eVTOL Eve with SPAC backed by Flexjet boss

June 10, 2021June 10, 2021by Doug Gollan

After ordering 200 Eve eVTOLs for his OneSky Flight unit that includes Flexjet and Sentient, Kenn Ricci’s Zanite SPAC is in talks with Embraer to take the upstart OEM public, according to Bloomberg

One day after Bloomberg reported that Vista Global Holding is seeking to go public via a SPAC, the website says the principal behind another leading private aviation provider plans a similar move. According to undisclosed sources, Brazil’s Embraer SA is in talks with special purpose acquisition company Zanite Acquisition Corp to merge its Eve Urban Air Mobility unit. This month, OneSky Flight, which includes Flexjet, Sentient, PrivateFly, and FXAIR, ordered 200 eVTOLs from Eve for its newly launched Halo brand. Kenn Ricci heads both OneSky and Zanite.

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Flexjet, Sentient Jet acquire another helicopter operator

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021by Doug Gollan5 Comments

Directional Aviation’s OneSky Flight, parent of Flexjet and Sentient, says it is targeting managed helicopter fleets, this time adding a U.K.-based operator

Flexjet, the second-largest fractional fleet operator, and sister Sentient Jet, a leader in jet cards, now have a second helicopter operator in the OneSky Flight portfolio. Halo Aviation Ltd., an operator in the United Kingdom, follows the acquisition earlier this year of Associated Aircraft Group (AAG). The latter operates Sikorsky helicopters in the Northeastern U.S.

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Inside Kenn Ricci’s Directional Aviation private jet empire

March 1, 2021March 1, 2021by Doug Gollan

Directional Aviation includes Flexjet, Sentient, FXAIR, PrivateFly, and more than a dozen private aviation B2B companies. Recently, its founder Kenn Ricci was the subject of an in-depth profile by Corporate Jet Investor. Here are the highlights…

Recently Corporate Jet Investor took a deep look at Kenn Ricci, the founder of Directional Aviation, home for a host of private aviation providers from consumer brands such as Flexjet, Sentient Jet, FXAIR, and PrivateFly to a host of B2B companies. Below is an excerpt of highlights reprinted with permission.

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Wheels Up in talks with SPAC to go public at $2 billion valuation

January 26, 2021January 26, 2021by Doug Gollan

The Wheels Up move follows private aviation and eVTOL focused SPAC filings from Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci, Surf Air, and Blade in recent months

This morning, a report from Reuters claims Wheels Up is in discussions with Aspirational Consumer Lifestyle Corp to go public through a merger with the SPAC blank-check acquisition company. The article said the deal could value the private aviation provider at “more than $2 billion.”

According to a Private Jet Card Comparisons’ analysis, Wheels Up is the second-largest operator of for-hire private aircraft behind NetJets with an estimated 8.3% of the market.

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