Boutique charter firms can provide quicker responses for both geopolitical trends and customer interaction, a panel of smaller for-hire business aircraft operators told attendees at the Air Charter Association’s annual Air Charter Expo (ACE) on Tuesday at London Biggin Hill Airport. They also emphasized the need for a considered approach to growth, including introducing additional aircraft or fleet types that panelists said can often complicate a smaller charter provider’s operations.
“Big isn’t always better,” suggested Vince Essex, CEO of Birmingham-based Above Aero. The company launched fixed-price city-pair air charter operations last month with an Embraer Phenom 100 in what he calls a “modern achiever market.” While Above has already identified a second Phenom to adopt into its very light jet operation, Essex believes that “the main thing for us is that we grow stronger, not that we grow bigger.”
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