Elevate Aviation Group Focuses on Growth and Personalized Service
Elevate Aviation Group, the parent company of Elevate Jet, is looking to expand through strategic acquisitions of Part 135 charter operators, Part 145 maintenance firms, and FBOs. However, the group’s CEO, Greg Raiff, emphasized the importance of maintaining a size that allows it to provide highly personalized services. In an exclusive interview with ch-aviation, Raiff outlined that the company intends to capitalize on the synergies between its charter brokerage and operating arm to maintain its boutique, client-focused approach.
Raiff explained that Elevate’s success in the private jet charter market, through its brokerage arm, Private Jet Services (PJS), has been driven by offering a high level of personalized service. This model, which caters to the luxury end of the market, including sports teams, artists, and political campaigns, is now being applied to aircraft management. Elevate Jet, the group’s Part 135 operator, was acquired in 2022 and currently operates five aircraft, including a Falcon 7X, a G200, a G650ER, a Global Express, and a Phenom 100.
Despite a general decrease in market demand, Raiff remains optimistic, citing the growth of Elevate Aviation Group in 2024. “Part of that market contraction on the demand side will, I believe, create additional expansion opportunities for well-positioned, financially strong companies like Elevate,” Raiff said. The group’s ongoing growth has given it the ability to explore acquisitions, with Raiff indicating that further announcements regarding acquisitions could be expected in the near future.
A key part of Elevate’s strategy for growth involves recruiting remotely, which has allowed the company to scale its workforce beyond its legacy locations. Raiff pointed out that the group aims to remain nimble, growing at a manageable pace while still providing its customers with highly individualized services. Elevate’s target is to be a middle ground between the large aircraft management companies, which often cannot offer the personal touch, and smaller operations, which may lack the resources or sophistication.
The group’s initial business, Private Jet Services, focuses on the “deep end of the market,” chartering aircraft for high-profile clients, such as sports teams and celebrities. One of its strategic partnerships includes working with New Pacific Airlines (7H, Anchorage Ted Stevens), where PJS acts as the exclusive broker for the charter of three B757-200s. These aircraft, configured for business class or VIP use, have proved highly popular, and Raiff sees potential for growing this partnership to as many as twelve aircraft in the future.
Raiff also emphasized Elevate’s broad focus on aircraft management and maintenance. The group has two in-house Part 145 bases located at Salt Lake City and Denver International airports, which were established in 2020. While the company is considering acquisitions of MRO firms to further expand its operations, Raiff stressed that Elevate remains committed to organic growth in this space, ensuring that maintenance services are provided where customers need them most.
Looking ahead, Elevate Aviation Group is focusing on expanding its services to meet the evolving needs of its clients. Raiff noted that demand for large and ultra-long-range jets remains strong, although pricing pressures on European routes have made smaller jets more challenging to acquire. As the private aviation market continues to shift, Elevate’s strategy of offering personalized, high-quality service positions it well to capture additional market share, especially from customers seeking better management and charter services than they have received in the past.
Despite challenges, including ongoing supply chain issues that affect the entire aviation sector, Raiff remains optimistic about the company’s ability to differentiate itself. He noted that the severity of these issues has lessened in recent years, and while they are expected to continue for another year or two, larger companies like Elevate are better positioned to navigate them.
With a continued focus on personalized service, strategic partnerships, and expanding its fleet and maintenance capabilities, Elevate Aviation Group is poised for long-term growth in the competitive private aviation market.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com