Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Ellipse Aviation, a new European preowned business aircraft broker, says it aims to offer similar levels of post-sale support that manufacturers do with new deliveries. It has pledged that for the first six months after title transfer, it will pay for alternative charter flights in the event that an aircraft is grounded.
Through its Ellipse Shield program, the company makes technical experts available on a 24/7 basis to answer any questions aircraft buyers might have. Boosting the buyer-side protection, its Ellipse Care package offers 12 months of free support through its own continuing airworthiness management organization—a service it already provides for three aircraft registered in San Marino.
Ellipse, which has offices at Paris Le Bourget Airport, was co-founded by a pair of business jet salesmen with experience at major OEMs. Its CEO, Pierre-Emmanuel de Tailly, has represented Gulfstream in Europe for 15 years and is a G600 pilot, while managing partner Florent Venturini previously worked with Dassault and Textron.
Franck Testard, an aeronautical engineer and maintenance specialist, is CEO of the start-up’s Ellipse Care division. The French Navy veteran has overseen more than 600 pre-purchase inspections and completions.
“We realised that the [preowned aircraft sales] industry has been very transactional, focused only on one-time deals,” Venturini told AIN. “It is frustrating for some owners who want more long-term stewardship, so we help owners through the whole ownership process, helping to achieve smooth transitions and care for their assets in partnership.”
Ellipse takes the financial risk of providing charter lift in AOG situations from its own margins. The company considered taking out insurance to cover this provision but found that the premiums demanded were huge. Some restrictions apply to each deal, and there are limits on how many flights the company will cover.
While Ellipse does not cover maintenance or repair costs, it aims to go further than most per-hour maintenance programs in assisting with alternative transportation. “Our clients won’t be left alone having to arrange flights and pay for them,” Venturini explained.
<h2>Peace of Mind Means Higher Prices</h2>
According to Ellipse’s founders, the extra level of peace of mind its support will provide for aircraft buyers will be reflected in the deals it brokers. “We expect to lower the time to market and enhance the value [from each transaction] with sale prices that could be 3% to 5% higher and with 20% less time to close,” de Tailly said.
The entrepreneurs are also tapping artificial intelligence to determine aircraft pricing with instant valuations of each prospective seller’s asset based on what Ellipse said is live market data. “We have invested money and resources to partner with AI providers to get this data, sourcing it from multiple databases, including Blue Book and JetNet, as well as taking account of aircraft damage history and reports on each tail number,” Venturini explained.
The new AI tool is available free of charge to anyone, including other aircraft brokers. Access via the Ellipse website only requires an email address.
According to the co-founders, they left their previous employers on good terms, and some of their previous customers are now backing the new venture. The company expects to start recruiting more brokers to cover the Middle East and U.S. markets as it expands in 2026.
Venturini acknowledged that there are conflicting reports about the current state of the market, “depending on who you are asking,” and with significant differences in demand between aircraft types. “It’s a fairly healthy market and the fourth quarter is always the busiest time of the year with inventory levels going down before they rise again in the first quarter of the new year,” he said.
“There has been lots of boost from the [tax] depreciation bonus in the U.S., but also some variations around the level of technology available with different aircraft types,” he concluded. “New models are seeing a lot of demand pressure, such as for the G600 at Gulfstream, which is increasing the time to market for aircraft that are now 10 years older, such as the G550 and the [Dassault] Falcon 7X.”

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