Private aviation company Wheels Up is continuing its acquisition spree with the purchase of Alante Air Charter, a Part 135 operator established in 2014 and based in Scottsdale, Arizona. This follows on last week’s announcement of an agreement to acquire Air Partner PLC.
Wheels Up says this deal will add a uniform fleet of twelve CJ3, CJ3+ and CJ4 light jets to its current fleet and they expect to welcome 39 pilots to the company. Prior to this acquisition, Wheels Up has worked with Alante Air as one of their safety-vetted and verified partners.
In the current market, with record demand for private aviation, the additional planes and particularly the additional pilots will be a helpful addition to Wheels Up and its private aviation marketplace.
"Over the past year, we have partnered with Alante Air as a trusted third-party operator, which has served our members well during a period of unprecedented demand in private aviation," said Kenny Dichter, Wheels Up Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "This acquisition further improves our operational efficiency and ability to offer members and customers access to a larger fleet of light jets, arguably the most in-demand category of aircraft in the industry."
Wheels up has completed multiple acquisitions over the last few years including charter operators, aircraft management companies, charter brokers and other aviation services companies, then went public via a SPAC deal in 2021.