Story ID: 
Priester Acquiring Hill's Aircraft Charter Management Group
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Priester Aviation is adding a presence on the U.S. East Coast with the acquisition of Hill Aircraft's Atlanta-based businesses.
Word Count: 350
Priester Aviation is acquiring Hill Aircraft's air charter and management business—expanding the group’s reach with a new presence on the U.S. East Coast. The company announced the acquisition of the family-owned businesses this morning of Atlanta-based Hill Private Aviation’s aircraft charter and management activities to continue alongside Priester’s operation in Illinois and that of Mayo in Colorado, which it acquired in 2022.
Hill Aircraft was established in 1955 by Guy Hill Sr. and is run today by his son Guy Hill Jr. It also operates an FBO at Atlanta Fulton County Executive Airport (KFTY), which is not included in the deal.
“Now Hill, with Priester and Mayo, can grow with added infrastructure and support, while still honoring and respecting what has already been built over the last six decades,” said Priester Aviation chairman and CEO Andy Priester. “Hill’s culture and people have been central to its success. We’re excited to engage Guy and his team as part of the larger Priester family as we thrive together.”
Priester, which did not disclose the financial value of the acquisition, is expected to close on the deal by the end of July. The combined group will manage a fleet of more than 85 aircraft.
Priester said Hill Private Aviation customers will be able to benefit from savings on costs such as fuel and insurance. The companies will also pool resources in areas such as crew scheduling, training, and maintenance support.
Hill already has an alliance with maintenance provider Stevens Aerospace, which will now operate from the KFTY hangar formerly occupied by Hill’s maintenance and parts department. This adds a fourth location to the Stevens network, which already has locations in Greenville, South Carolina; Dayton, Ohio; and Nashville, Tennessee.  
“We looked for a company to align with in this service area that had similar values and business practices to our own, and are excited to join with Priester Aviation to expand the capabilities for our customers,” said Guy Hill, Jr.