They say the first year can be the best, and for Hong Kong-based Asian Sky Group (ASG, Chalet 370) it has been a sweet first year. The company has completed several aircraft transactions during the past 12 months, and executed several long-term consulting agreements. In the last quarter, ASG participated in transactions totaling $140 million for both new and pre-owned aircraft as diverse as a Cessna Citation CJ1+ and an Airbus ACJ319.
Seacor Holdings provided the initial backing for ASG. “We’ve been impressed with the company’s growth in this short time,” said Max Buirski, vice president Seacor Holdings.
ASG’s managing director, Jay Shaw, explained that there are quite a few unique transactions in ASG’s future. “For example, we are supporting a Chinese state-owned enterprise interested in acquiring a number of pre-owned aircraft of a single type. Our partner Avic allows us to offer a single source for all the aircraft, payments in local currency and a turnkey solution that includes importing and registering the aircraft in mainland China.”
“Meanwhile,” he continued, “our U.S. partner Avpro allows us to act as a single point of contact for the sellers and potentially source all the pre-owned aircraft from the U.S. market. Avpro assists with all the pre-purchase inspections, ensures the aircraft meet CAAC requirements and have export approval into mainland China. The structure simplifies the transaction and adds value for all of the parties,” he concluded.
For next year, ASG is hoping to make its mark in the rotary-wing market and to expand its reach in Southeast Asia. The company has brought onboard Patrick Bouvry, to focus on business development, and Jane Wang, who is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and conversational Japanese.o