Wheels Up Acquires Charter Operator

Wheels Up recently announced that it has acquired Travel Management Company (TMC), an Elkhart, Indiana–based wholesale jet charter operator with a fleet of 26 Hawker 400XPs. According to the New York City–headquartered, membership-based private aviation company, the move strengthens its light jet offering and enhances its Charter Marketplace program, which allows members to book flights from safety-vetted and verified charter operators.

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TMC’s Hawker 400XPs will complement Wheels Up’s 93 airplanes (72 King Air 350is, 15 Citation Excel/XLSs, and six Citation Xs), bringing the number of aircraft in its all-Textron Aviation fleet to 119. Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter stressed that the acquisition will not alter Gama Aviation’s role in operating Wheels Up’s aircraft. “We love our relationship with Gama,” he told BJT.

According to Dichter, TMC will operate as a separate subsidiary of Wheels Up and will continue to provide the same service to its existing wholesale channel partners. TMC will also continue to be run by its existing leadership team, including CEO Phil Dodyk.

“This acquisition is a foundational piece in our continued brand evolution and mission to provide our members with a total private aviation solution,” said Dichter. “TMC and its light jet fleet are a perfect complement to our anchor partner, Gama Aviation, which will continue to operate the aircraft in our Wheels Up fleet.”