Vista acquires Air Hamburg
Vista Global Holding (Vista) announced this week that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Air Hamburg’s operating platform and maintenance services.
Founded in 2006, Air Hamburg has become a full-service private aviation company, flying to over 1,000 destinations in Europe alone. It is one of the largest private jet operators by number of flights across Europe, organizing over 18,800 flights for its clients in 2021, and it is second only to Vista in terms of hours flown, recording over 35,000 hours in 2021. As a result, Vista expects an increase of around 30% in flight hours (on a combined basis) globally following the completion of the transaction. The merger is the latest step in Vista’s relentless transformation of the highly fragmented business aviation ecosystem. It acquired XOJET in 2018, online broker and membership company JetSmarter in 2019, Red Wing in 2020 and charter broker Apollo Jets in 2021. Apart from JetSmarter, which it acquired to build its technology platform, the rest have all traded under their own brands using Vista systems. This is also the plan with Air Hamburg.
Air Hamburg’s private jet operation complements Vista’s owned fleet services, and its 44 contracted aircraft, including Lineage 1000E, Dassault Falcon 7X, and Embraer Legacy models, will be available to all Vista Members. In addition to the charter business, Vista will integrate Air Hamburg’s EASA Part 145 maintenance hub at Baden Baden Airpark, along with its Executive Handling division and VIP lounge at Hamburg Airport. www.vistajet.com
Global fleet & MRO forecast 2022-2032
According to Oliver Wyman’s Global Fleet & MRO Forecast 2022-2032, after two years of turmoil, the aviation industry appears to be poised for a decade of growth. By the early part of 2023, global demand for domestic travel is expected to reach and exceed its 2019 pre-pandemic peak. Worldwide, the business and international travel segments will take longer to recover.
At the beginning of 2022, the global fleet was the same size as it was in 2017, and it is not expected to top its January 2020 apex of almost 28,000 until sometime in the first half of 2023. By 2032, the fleet is expected to eclipse 38,100 aircraft, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1% between January 2022 and the beginning of 2032. For the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector, the market is being redefined by a fleet in transition, in part because of higher numbers of retirements of aircraft due to enter a period of intensive MRO expenses. MRO demand should recover to pre-COVID levels by 2024, but annual growth in the second half of our 10-year forecast period will be 2.8%. By 2030, MRO demand is expected to reach $118 billion, 13% below the pre‑COVID forecast of $135 billion. Download the full report with interactive tools: www.oliverwyman.com
Rolls-Royce & Luxaviation to collaborate on developing future air mobility
Rolls-Royce and the Luxaviation Group last week announced plans to collaborate on leading the development and deployment of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Rolls-Royce will provide electrification solutions, maintenance support services, and digital solutions for Luxaviation Group’s planned network of vertiports. Luxaviation already has a presence at over 120 VIP terminals across the world. Both companies share a vision of Advanced Air Mobility solutions including all-electric and hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing as well as fixed-wing commuter aircraft. The Memorandum of Understanding between Rolls-Royce Electrical, Rolls-Royce Power Systems and Luxaviation focuses on operations, vertiports and surrounding infrastructure to support these new markets. The strategic partnership will look at three main areas: Charging and energy infrastructure for vertiports, maintenance provision for electric aircraft, digital solutions for related applications across AAM. www.luxaviation.com
People: Shane G. Eddy named president of Pratt & Whitney
Shane G. Eddy will become the next president of Pratt & Whitney on March 1, parent company Raytheon Technologies Corp. announced late. Eddy replaces Christopher Calio, who has been appointed Raytheon’s chief operating officer.
Eddy, who joined Pratt & Whitney in November 2016, was most recently senior v-p and chief operations officer. He joined Pratt & Whitney from GE Aviation where he was vice president and general manager, turboshaft and turboprop engines. Prior to joining GE, Shane was President, Commercial Systems and Services, at Sikorsky. During 6 years with UTC, Eddy also served as Senior Vice President, Operations and Vice President Commercial Business at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Prior to joining Sikorsky, Shane was Senior Vice President, Customer Support, and Chief Services Officer for Bell Helicopter Textron. During 14 years at Bell, he also served as Executive Director, Commercial Helicopter Programs. He received his undergraduate degree from Canadore College, Ontario, and holds an MBA from Concordia University, Quebec. www.rtx.com