Vertis Aviation flying high at EBACE after most successful year yet.

Vertis Aviation, the Switzerland-based boutique charter specialist, flies into this year’s EBACE, booth D69, on the back of its most successful year since launch in 2010. The business restructured in 2016 to bring focus back to its core activity, the charter of large cabin, long-range jets and executive airliners, to an international customer base. This has resulted in significant growth in terms of hours flown, customer numbers and revenues generated.  

The stars of the Vertis year have been the portfolio’s executive airliners and the continent of Africa. The Privajet operated Boeing Business Jet, which Vertis has marketed since November 2014, flew more than 580 hours in 2017, with a number of round the world tours keeping the aircraft busy for up to a month at a time. The two Airbus Corporate Jets ACJ319, operated by K5, have also seen an uptick in charter activity during the last six months, with increased demand from the U.S. Middle East and European markets. The ACJs have been busy on trans-Atlantic routes, which has been driven by a  general rise in North American charter activity and the low availability of this type of aircraft for charter in the region. Vertis has a strong international customer base, but has noticed a new set of customers are requesting charters that need access to the operational flexibility and the exceptional comfort provided by these aircraft.

The rising star of Africa is also proving a strong market for Vertis Aviation with the business seeing a  75% annual increase in activity from the continent as an increasing number of African customers recognise the benefits of business aviation. “We are seeing entrepreneurial development, a rise in venture capital investments and tremendous growth in the mining sector, all of which is driving our success across Africa. Initially we focused predominantly on serving government and hydrocarbon clients, but a dramatic increase in charters from the mining sector, amongst others, has seen our business grow beyond expectations here,” said Jeffrey Emmenis, Partner, Vertis Aviation.  The Bombardier Challenger 350, operated by Fireblade, and marketed by Vertis, has supported the growth intra-Africa, while the BBJ has supplied the inter-continental demand.

To further buoy up the African activity Vertis will begin to market a sub-Saharan-based, Privajet operated, 2015 Bombardier Global 6000 this summer, and will be adding a 13 seat Embraer Legacy 600, operated by Cronos Executive, to its portfolio before the end of 2018. “African executives are now realising that it is not a luxury to fly privately but a practical solution on a continent where commercial aviation is restricted when it comes to intra-continental travel,” Emmenis says. 

With offices in London, Zug, Belgrade, Dubai and Cape Town the company is experiencing its busiest period yet and is setting its sights on an even stronger 2018.“We took a decision to restructure and it has paid off as we used our extensive expertise to do what we do best, which is to facilitate what are often incredibly complex, multi-leg trips flown by clients with some of the highest expectations in the industry. It has paid off and we are looking forward to the next twelve months as we add more aircraft to our offering,” concludes Emmenis.