Dubai-based Vista Global Holdings has agreed to acquire Air Hamburg of Germany in a deal between the two charter operators that is expected to increase Vista’s flight hours by 30 percent and give it a 15 percent share of the global air charter market. The deal will also provide Vista with Air Hamburg Technik, an EASA Part 145 maintenance operation at Baden-Baden Airpark, and a VIP lounge at Hamburg Airport. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of the year, pending regulatory approvals.
Last year, Air Hamburg organized more than 18,800 flights—making it the largest charter operator in Europe by number of flights—accounting for more than 35,000 flight hours. With more than 650 employees, Air Hamburg operates charter flights to more than 1,000 European destinations with a managed, floating fleet of 44 light, midsize, super-midsize, large-cabin business jets, and bizliners. Aircraft models in its fleet include the Embraer Phenom 300/300E, Legacy 500 and 600/650/650E, Praetor 600, and Lineage 1000E; Dassault Falcon 7X; and Cessna Citation CJ3 and XLS+. Those aircraft will be available to VistaJet and XO customers, bringing Vista’s fleet of Bombardier Challengers and Globals to more than 240 aircraft.
“Vista’s leading flying solutions, with a business model based on a floating fleet, allows us to implement a quick, seamless integration,” said Vista founder and chairman Thomas Flohr. The acquisition augments its scale and fleet offering across strategic regions, Vista said.
“This is an incredible opportunity to remain at the top of the growing business aviation market,” added Air Hamburg CEO and managing director Floris Helmers. “Over the last three years, we have experienced strong growth, significantly increasing our market share across Europe and beyond. This cooperation between two of the largest operators means increasing our stability and securing further growth for our business.”
