- Announcement comes just weeks after acquisition of U.S.-based Associated Aircraft Group helicopter provider
- Positions companies to become global leaders in vertical flight
Enables Flexjet, Sentient Jet and other Directional Aviation OneSky Flight companies to develop the next generation of end-to-end private aviation offerings not available elsewhere
Luxury fractional jet provider Flexjet and jet card pioneer Sentient Jet, today announced that they have a new sister company, Halo Aviation Ltd. (Halo), a leading provider of helicopter transportation services in the United Kingdom. The transaction follows the acquisition earlier this year of Associated Aircraft Group (AAG), the premier provider of executive Sikorsky helicopter service in the Northeastern United States. These moves position Flexjet, Sentient Jet and their sister companies, FXAIR and PrivateFly, on-demand jet charter providers in both the U.S. and Europe, to become leaders in vertical flight, further expanding their offerings and global operations.
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U.K.-based helicopter provider Halo Aviation acquired by Directional Aviation's OneSky Flight, parent of global private jet travel provider Flexjet, jet card provider Sentient Jet and on-demand charter providers PrivateFly and FXAIR. (Photo: Business Wire)
Halo and AAG, both manage fleets of some of the finest helicopters in the world and are leading providers of vertical lift and urban mobility services in their respective nations. This move will inject a new group of customers from Flexjet, the second largest fractional jet provider in the world, and Sentient Jet, which has 8,000 active jet card holders, and will pave the way for a unique end-to-end travel solution not offered by any other provider. The structure of these companies and their relationships to each other will offer differentiators in the market that other brands will not be able to duplicate from the safety of flying managed fleets to the packaging of end-to-end flight solutions these acquisitions will rebrand what the private jet traveler will want in a provider.
"My vision is to strategically position each of our flight providers to become a leader in its market," said Kenneth C. Ricci, Principal, Directional Aviation, parent of OneSky Flight and its member companies. "Flexjet is the preeminent global fractional ownership company, Sentient Jet offers the industry's leading jet card and FXAIR and PrivateFly have uniquely-positioned offerings in the on-demand charter space. Now, with the acquisition of Halo and AAG, we can add another market to that list: Vertical lift."
Ricci added that the addition of Halo advances three important strategic goals, saying, "First, these acquisitions position us as a leader in the exciting future of vertical lift solutions. Second, it builds a core competency in urban mobility operations. Third it makes possible synergies with our other affiliated companies, like Flexjet and Sentient, allowing us to provide a complete aircraft travel solution. During the coming months, we will share with our customers and partners our plans for taking vertical lift services to the next level perhaps through bolstering the fleet with a manufacturer order which could lead to a possible combination of powerhouse travel solutions."
Founded in 2009 by William Fanshawe and Therese Bewsey, Halo Aviation is a helicopter travel services provider with bases in the south of England, around London, in the Midlands and in the Channel Islands. Headquartered in Cranleigh, Surrey, Halo Aviation serves a clientele of leaders in business, government and other fields as well as leisure travelers, providing connections between airports and city centers and between short-haul domestic destinations such as musical festivals, racecourses and other sports and entertainment events.
While other private aviation companies are expanding into the vertical lift market, they are doing so as aggregators of demand for charter vertical lift providers. In contrast, the recent Directional Aviation OneSky Flight acquisitions targeted companies with managed fleets, giving them full control of assets and operations, ensuring that their stringent safety standards are met, that service aligns with the highest standards of quality and that synergies with other companies in the OneSky family are realized.
"The acquisitions of Halo and AAG by themselves make us a leader in vertical lift," said Andrew Collins, OneSky's on-demand private jet travel and vertical lift lead. "They also provide the foundation for the future of global mobility, with the capabilities to provide outstanding service on two continents; to provide a platform for the entry into service of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology. In addition, they offer a critical, customer-benefiting differentiator for their fellow OneSky companies, providing the link between airports and final destinations. We look forward to bringing to vertical lift the same commitment to excellence in customer service that we have to our other private aviation markets."
The helicopters in the fleets of Halo and AAG are the finest on two continents. Halo operates six- and eight-seat Agusta/Leonardo helicopters, including the Agusta AW109 and AW169 models. The Agusta craft are produced by the helicopter division of Rome-based aerospace company Leonardo S.p.A., which previously had acquired the Agusta and AgustaWestland brands. Leonardo continues to produce a range of helicopters for commercial aviation, public service and military use, and manages the full range of operations from development to production to pilot training to after-sales support.
AAG operates the Sikorsky S-76, the longest-running helicopter serving elite clienteles, with more than 40 years and 7.4 million hours of safe flight. AAG offers charter services, the AAG Excalibur Card (sold in 10-hour increments), Sikorsky Shares and New York-area airport transfer services. It also offers professional aircraft maintenance and management services for Sikorsky owners.
About Directional Aviation and OneSky Flight
Directional Aviation is a private investment firm whose singular focus is private business aviation. Directional's OneSky Flight portfolio of private jet travel providers includes shared/fractional jet ownership, jet card, membership, on-demand charter and vertical lift providers. Industry leaders representing MRO, private jet remanufacturing, aviation parts distribution and more also make up the Directional family. Directional Aviation is charting the course of private aviation, worldwide.
For more information, visit www.directionalaviation.com and www.onesky.com.
About Halo Aviation
Halo Aviation Ltd. is a helicopter company offering access to vertical lift via charter, card, fractional ownership and full ownership/management programmes. Halo Aviation is committed to passenger safety by operating the leading helicopter types in their class piloted by instrument-rated pilots, most of whom served in the U.K. armed forces. Halo's fleet of Agusta/Leonardo AW109 and AW169 helicopters dispatch from bases in the south of England, around London, the Midlands and in the Channel Islands. For more information, visit www.haloaviation.com
About AAG
AAG has flown more than 65,000 safe flying hours and has more than 30 years of experience providing helicopter charter, fractional ownership and helicopter maintenance services from its New York, Teterboro, Bridgeport, Providence and Philadelphia installations. With the Northeast's largest fleet of S-76 helicopters, AAG is the only VIP helicopter company to own and operate its own FAA Part 145 maintenance facility and is a Sikorsky Authorized Customer Support Center. AAG has earned the Wyvern Wingman status, the ARG/US Platinum rating, the ACSF IAS Registry and the IS-BAO Stage 3 Registration, which serve as hallmarks of AAG's commitment to safety. AAG also is approved for DCA operations under the DASSP. For more information, visit www.flyaag.com.
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Contacts:
Nicholas Parmelee
The Hubbell Group, Inc.
+1216-406-5602 (mobile)
nparmelee@hubbellgroup.com
