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Chartering a private jet is never going to be cheap, no matter how many startups have promised to make it more affordable over the years. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be cheap. Aerovanti Air Club, which announced a $9.75 million Series A funding round led by Network1 Financial Securities, is betting on a unique Piaggio P.180 Avanti Turboprop (you can see where the company’s name comes from) to offer low hourly rates. His club members.
Membership fees start at $1,000 per month for individual memberships, $1,500 per month for family memberships, and $2,500 per month for corporate memberships. Hourly rates start at $2,495, which is about half of what the most affordable Wheels Up flight would set you back. There are no switching fees.
In addition to the nine P.180s that make up the core of its fleet, the company also has three Learjet 31s, one Gulfstream G3 and an MD 600N helicopter. Having a helicopter on board is also a bit unusual, but Aerovanti CEO and founder Patrick Britton-Harr said the company will allow the company to fly passengers from Miami to the Florida Keys or from Boston to Martha’s Vineyard.
P.180 is an interesting choice. The Italian-made plane can fly up to 370 miles per hour and can seat seven passengers on its special stabilizer nose. That’s slower than most jets, worth considering for the service you pay per hour, but comparable to other twin-engine turboprops. Britton-Hare, CEO of AMS Onsite and Offshore Laboratories, a pilot himself, said his family first bought a Piaggio for personal use.
Image Credits: Aerovanti
“It’s fine. It is light. It is fuel efficient and has an amazing range,” he told me when I asked him why he chose this aircraft. “It’s operating with a third of the carbon footprint of its competitors. It’s one of the fastest planes in its class, beating the KingAir 350 and 360, and is 115mph faster than the Super KingAir 200 – even though it’s powered by the same engines. It’s also incredibly fun to fly.”
In March, Aerovanti acquired Marjet Aviation, a small single-plane operator based out of Arizona, with a Part 135 certificate. The company said this helped it improve its operations and expand its crew and pilot roster.
“We’re in growth mode,” Britton-Harr said. This increase will provide financial support for maintenance centers so that we can be a full MRO [maintenance, repair, and overhaul center]. We are also building our customer service team, expanding our fleet again and looking at some strategic M&A activity.
He noted that company members now include NFL players, C-Suite executives and families who occasionally travel to Disney World. “What they have in common is an appreciation for value. You have many options for private flying, but we’re the only ones that can get you up 10,000 feet safe, fast, with all the amenities and luxury you’d expect from charter aviation at half the price,” he said.
The private aviation market boomed during the previous pandemic and this demand continues. Once you get a taste of private aviation, that United first class seat from Newark to Miami suddenly doesn’t seem so good, especially given the total chaos in the airline industry these days.
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