UK’s above Acquires Alto Aerospace, Plans Phenom 100 Launch in 2026
Executive jet charter start-up Fly Above Group, trading as above™ (Birmingham, GB), has purchased Bournemouth-based Alto Aerospace, a charter, management and special-missions operator. The deal includes Alto’s United Kingdom air operator’s certificate (AOC #2461), enabling above™ to target a 2026 launch pending Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval with a newly acquired Phenom 100.
“We’re looking forward to working with charter brokers desperate for more G-registration light jet capacity,” said owner Vince Essex. above™ will initially operate under Alto Aerospace’s AOC, which will be rebranded before launch. Alto currently lists one King Air B200 on its certificate.
The start-up’s first aircraft is a 15.7-year-old, four-seat Phenom 100 (msn 50000132), acquired from Arcus Air and currently registered in Germany as D-IAAS. Arcus Air is phasing out the type in favour of PC-12 turboprops but still operates one Phenom 100, while another has been parked at Saarbrücken since late September. Arcus Air’s fleet also includes two Phenom 300s and two Embraer aircraft operated for Travelcoup: an E135 introduced in October and an E145 added earlier this year.
above™’s Phenom 100 will be primarily based at XLR Executive Jet Centres’ FBO in Birmingham, operating under a floating-base model. The company plans to serve the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and near-Europe markets.
Beyond executive charter services, above™ will offer aircraft-on-ground (AOG) support for UK airlines, along with medical evacuation and organ transport missions. Longer-term plans include expanding into aircraft management and operations with larger-capacity aircraft.
The company is funded through personal capital and local investment. Essex previously served as chief commercial officer at Cello Aviation, the former ACMI and VIP charter specialist that operated BAe 146s and Boeing 737 Classics before ceasing operations in 2018.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com