Vista Global continues growth with Apollo Jets
Vista Global is planning to acquire Apollo Jets in a deal announced last week. The acquisition will give Vista around 4,000 Apollo Jets clients and a fleet of aircraft currently operated by Talon Air, an Apollo Jets company.
The acquisition of Apollo is the latest in a series of M&A deals which have expanded Vista Global’s service offering, following on from the successful acquisitions of Red Wing Aviation in 2020, JetSmarter in 2019 and XOJET in 2018.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021
With the acquisition, Vista will have a network of 20 offices across the U.S., Europe, Middle East, and Asia, offering global access to an owned and managed fleet of more than 160 aircraft and a further 2,100 alliance aircraft.
JetClub launches fractional ownership programme in Europe
JetClub, a new business aviation brand, founded by Vishal Hiremath and Glenn Gonzales, former Honda and Gulfstream executives, has announced its plans to launch in mainland Europe in the spring of 2021. The company’s sister brand, Jet It, has been successfully operating in the US for the past two and half years and the Group now operates a fleet of eleven HondaJet aircraft.
The company is based upon a fractional ownership model in which club members purchase a share of the jet in return for a certain number of days and not hours. In early March 2021, the JetClub HondaJet will depart from the United States, and make its way to Europe, via Canada, Greenland, and Iceland. The aircraft will then be based at various sites across mainland Europe for commercial operation. JetClub holds a Maltese Air Operator Certificate. More aircraft are scheduled to join the fleet in 2021. www.jetclubgroup.com
Falcon 6X completes maiden flight
Dassault Aviation last week announced that the company’s widebody Falcon 6X has successfully completed its first flight as planned in the first quarter of 2021. With test pilots Bruno Ferry and Fabrice Valette at its controls, aircraft 6X s/n 01 lifted off from Dassault Aviation’s Mérignac plant near Bordeaux.
The twin-engine 6X is powered by Pratt & Whitney's PW812D ("D" for Dassault), with each engine delivering 13,500 pounds of thrust. With a cabin height of 78 inches (1.98 meters) and a width of 102 inches, the 6X has the largest cross-section dimensions of any purpose-built business jet. The cabin can accommodate up to 16 passengers in three lounge areas. Compared with earlier Falcons, the 6X’s aisle is five inches wider. The maximum range of the 6X carrying eight passengers and three crew at long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.80 is 5,500 nm. A new feature in the 6X design facilitates short-field performance - the fly-by-wire flight control system’s use of electrically driven flaps and flaperons. This allows the flaperons to act as both flaps (increasing lift) and ailerons (roll control) and are a first for a business jet. The 6X also features Honeywell’s EASy avionics suite, and Dassault’s FalconEye combined vision system - which the company says is the first head-up display to blend synthetic terrain imaging with navigation guidance that has credit to fly instrument approaches to 100-foot minimums. www.dassaultfalcon.com
People: Steve Allen appointed to lead dnata’s global operations
The Emirates Group has announced the appointment of Steve Allen as the Executive Vice President of dnata, a global leading air services provider. Steve Allen will be responsible for all dnata’s businesses covering ground handling, catering and travel across six continents. In addition, he will assume responsibility for managing Emirates Group’s relationships with its associated businesses, including MMI, Emirates CAE Flight Training and Premier Inn. In his new role, Steve Allen will continue to report to Gary Chapman, President Group Services and dnata, until his retirement at the end of March. Thereafter, Steve Allen will report directly to His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman & Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group.
Steve Allen has been with the Emirates Group for 12 years in various operational and support roles. Since 2016, he has been overseeing dnata’s ground handling and cargo operations and airport hospitality services in the United Arab Emirates as Divisional Senior Vice President. For the past nine months he has also been leading dnata’s travel businesses and their ongoing transformation globally. Prior to joining the Emirates Group, Steve Allen spent 16 years with British Airways in various financial, regional and operational roles.
In the financial year 2019-20 dnata’s teams handled 681,000 aircraft, moved 2.9 million tons of cargo, uplifted more than 93 million meals and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 3.0 billion.
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