Story ID: 459
Angola’s Bestfly Executes New European Move
By: Peter Shaw-Smith
Caption: Bestfly's fleet now numbers 27 aircraft.
Word Count: 281
Angolan business jet and commercial operator Bestfly has acquired Austria-based aircraft asset management company MS Aviation as part of its broader European expansion strategy, the company announced this week at EBACE 2023.
“Bestfly has developed an expansion strategy that focuses on critical steps in European and Caribbean markets,” said Nuno Pereira, chairman and group CEO of Bestfly (Static AD_26). “Leveraging our recent additions to our executive board, we are executing this expansion strategy in multiple phases. The acquisition of MS Aviation is a critical part of this growth strategy.
“MS Aviation gives us a further foothold in Europe from where we will expand the existing corporate aircraft management services, add another link to our current European VIP charter business, and further establish a broader structure of commercial aircraft ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance) solutions.”
As part of Bestfly’s acquisition, MS Aviation will relocate its offices to Graz, Austria.
Founded in 2009, Bestfly’s fleet now stands at 27 aircraft including Bombardier, Falcon, Gulfstream, Hawker, and Cessna Citation business jets, Beechcraft King Air and ATR72 turboprops, Leonardo and Bell helicopters, and Embraer regional airliners. The fleet serves commercial markets and long-term contract customers throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, it said.
Outside Angola, it also operates in Aruba, Portugal, Cape Verde, UAE, Congo, Guyana, and Senegal.
“Coming into the Bestfly aviation group and being supported by their strong leadership team with a significant market footprint is another step to expanding the capabilities of MS Aviation,” said Michael Mayer, accountable manager of MS Aviation.