Gama Aviation Acquires Charter Broker Hunt & Palmer

Gama Aviation today agreed to acquire UK-based charter flight broker Hunt & Palmer. The business aviation services group said it expects the transaction to be completed by the end of this week.

Hunt & Palmer has been a prominent player in the private flight charter sector since 1986. Gama Aviation, which is active as a charter operator, is adding the business to a portfolio that also includes aircraft management, maintenance, and FBOs.

According to Gama, the acquisition will boost its aircraft management and charter capability, “adding immediate scale, global reach, and complementary expertise across business aviation, commercial charter, music touring, and cargo.” The group said it will continue to use the Hunt & Palmer brand name and retain its broker offices worldwide in the UK, U.S., Hong Kong, and Australia.

“Strategically, the planned acquisition allows us to grow our share of the global charter market while enhancing demand for our aircraft management offering,” Gama Aviation CEO Marwan Khalek commented. “It allows us to achieve both objectives more quickly and with less execution risk than through organic growth alone.”

Graham Williamson, Gama’s managing director for aircraft management and charter, said that Hunt & Palmer’s team will support its efforts to offer a “boutique proposition” across Europe and the Middle East, in particular. “This acquisition accelerates that progress, significantly increasing our capability and attractiveness to aircraft owners and charter clients alike,” he said.

Hunt & Palmer's head of business aviation Julie Black told AIN its brokers will continue to book flights on a neutral basis despite being part of a group that includes its own charter operation. "Our longevity and the strength of our client relationships are very important to us, as well as our special expertise in fields like music group flights with our Premier Aviation division," she explained. "The feedback we have had today [about the new ownership] has been very positive."

The parties did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition. The takeover by Gama Aviation is another instance of a charter operator absorbing a broker, with Hunt & Palmer’s competitor Air Partner already part of the Wheels Up group, which in 2020 acquired Gama's U.S. subsidiary. On Monday, the owners of U.S. aircraft broker Guardian Jet announced the launch of their own charter brokering unit called Capstone Jet.

“When we started Hunt & Palmer in 1986, we didn’t imagine 40 years later it would grow to be one of the most respected, award-winning businesses in the sector,” commented Hunt & Palmer co-founder Jeremy Palmer. “It is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our staff that an admired entity such as Gama Aviation are keen to add Hunt & Palmer to their stable. I am pleased to be handing the business over to Gama Aviation, where I know that it will thrive in its next phase.”