Jet Aviation Now a U.S. Charter Certificate Holder

Jet Aviation has purchased charter company K Services and now for the first time is the holder of a U.S. Part 135 charter certificate. Before its acquisition in November 2008 by Gulfstream owner General Dynamics, then foreign-owned Jet Aviation had planned to develop its own charter company but halted that effort and entered into an agreement to broker charter flights to Priester Aviation. Under the agreement, Jet Aviation management clients who wanted charter revenue placed their aircraft on the Priester Part 135 certificate. The new Jet Aviation Flight Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jet Aviation Business Jets and is ARG/US Platinum and IS-BAO certified. Jet Aviation owns 16 FBOs, three other charter certificates (outside the U.S.) a staffing firm, refurbishment/completion centers and maintenance shops and manages more than 70 aircraft in the U.S. Jet Aviation will continue working with Priester as it moves clients to its new charter certificate. "There's no intention to create some kind of integrated program with Gulfstream or a fractional service program," said Robert Seidel, general manager of Jet Aviation Business Jets. "We're agnostic as to the OEM. We don't want to be overly affiliated with one at the expense of the other."