Story ID: 
Upstart Volato Acquires Gulf Coast Aviation
By: Jerry Siebenmark
Caption: With the acquisition of Gulf Coast Aviation in Houston, Volato has bases in six U.S. markets.
Word Count: 231
Charter and fractional provider Volato is entering one of the country’s busiest business aviation markets through the acquisition of Gulf Coast Aviation, a Houston-based aircraft management and charter company founded by Steve and Debbie Holmes. With the acquisition, Volato, which was founded in September 2021 as a fractional provider of HondaJets, will operate from Atlantic Aviation’s FBO at William P. Hobby Airport.

The acquisition moves Volato toward its objective of having a network of bases across the U.S., enabling its HondaJet fractional owners to avoid paying repositioning fees. “Houston adds to our existing bases in Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Augustine, Fort Lauderdale, and Carlsbad, so this acquisition gets us closer to our goal,” said Volato co-founder and chief revenue officer Nicholas Cooper.

It also provides Volato access to more charter aircraft, including the Beechcraft King Air 360 and Hawker 750 that are part of Gulf Coast’s fleet. “We look forward to supporting the existing managed fleet and welcoming new aircraft owners to our fleet division,” added CEO Matt Liotta.

In December, Volato launched a pay-by-the-hour charter program in which a portion of the charter fees is returned to the company’s aircraft shareowners. The company started with a single HondaJet Elite S, along with an initial order for 10 more of the light twinjets. In January, Volato placed a second order for 15 more HondaJets.