Houston, Texas

Volato acquires Gulf Coast Aviation

HondaJet fractional provider, Volato, has acquired aircraft management company Gulf Coast Aviation (GCA), a fixture in the Houston private aviation market for the past 25 years.

GCA is strategically located at Atlantic Aviation, William P. Hobby International Airport (HOU) in Houston, Texas. The combined companies will serve a larger share of the North American business aviation market.

GCA is rated Argus Platinum and Stage 3 IS-BAO; awarded only to aviation companies who have demonstrated operational excellence through successful implementation of best safety practices relative to their operations and maintenance, with safety management activities fully integrated into their culture. Their experience with charter and aircraft management for owners involves everything from King Air turboprops to ultra-long range large cabin jets.

GCA's mission to provide first-class service in all areas of aviation aligns with Volato's mission to provide the best experience for their owners and employees. Volato will retain all GCA employees, reinforcing their commitment to industry-specific customer experience while adding to their extensive aviation expertise.

Volato operates the HondaJet Elite S

"We look forward to supporting the existing managed fleet and welcoming new aircraft owners to our fleet division," said Matt Liotta, co-founder and CEO of Volato. "and we are thrilled to integrate the passion and experience of each and every GCA employee into the Volato family."

Volato's goal is to have operational bases across the continental United States so their HondaJet fractional owners do not pay repositioning fees.

"Having a base in Houston is important to the vision and growth of Volato as it's the second busiest market for private aviation in the country, and we look forward to introducing our HondaJet fleet to GCA's extensive loyal customer base." said Nicholas Cooper, co-founder and CRO of Volato. "Houston adds to our existing bases in Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Augustine, Ft. Lauderdale and Carlsbad, so this acquisition gets us closer to our goal."

A further benefit is owners in Volato's fractional program and their charter customers now have access to a larger charter fleet to meet a variety of their travel needs.

GCA Founders Steve and Debbie Holmes are pleased to announce their retirement. "We are grateful for GCA's loyal customers, vendors and employees who have all been indispensable in making Gulf Coast Aviation a success.

"When we met the Volato team, we were very impressed by their leadership, unique business model, passion for delivering the best customer experience and how they treat their employees. We knew our customers and employees would be in good hands," said Steve Holmes. "We are confident that Volato is the right custodian for our company and team. We are excited to see GCA grow and evolve as part of the Volato family."

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.