Wheels Up buys Gama Aviation Signature growing its fleet to over 300 private aircraft

Wheels Up

The acquisition follows the purchase of Delta Private Jets, Travel Management Company, and Avianis, and squares it up against NetJets

Wheels Up is looking to move closer to NetJets and pull away from Directional Aviation and Vista Global Holdings. Its acquisition of Gama Aviation LLC this morning gives it over 300 owned and managed aircraft.

Gama Aviation Signature, as it is known, already was managing the Wheels Up fleet of King Air 350i, Citation Excel/XLS, and Citation X aircraft.

It follows its acquisitions of Travel Management Company last June and Delta Private Jets, completed in January.

Wheels Up unveils major program enhancements

Wheels Up

Wheels Up becomes the first major jet card provider to offer four guaranteed availability jet cabin categories and a turboprop program on a national basis

What a difference a year makes. At this time last year, rumors were swirling. Wheels Up was expanding beyond its core King Air 350i and Citation Excel fleet with an off-fleet light jet program.

The new programs, effective January 2nd, will offer dynamic trip pricing with capped hourly rates and guaranteed availability nationwide. They will run across five cabin categories, from its King Air 350i fleet to light, midsize, super-midsize, and large jets.

Jet Card Insider: Wheels Up is no longer a two-trick pony

Wheels up Citation X

After bringing turboprops mainstream by championing the King Air 350i, Wheels Up is now filling out its product offerings

There are probably few privately held companies that get as much airtime on the business cable networks as Kenny Dichter and Wheels Up, his entry second entry into the world of jet cards. His debut in 2001 was an exclusive agreement with NetJets to sell jet cards onto its fractionally owned fleet. Instead of having to buy at least 50 hours per year with a five-year commitment, Marquis Jet Partners offered the opportunity to buy in 25 hours at a time.

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