Executive jet charter start-up Fly Above Group, trading as above™ (Birmingham, GB), has acquired Bournemouth-based Alto Aerospace, a specialist in charter, management, and special missions, including its United Kingdom air operator's certificate (AOC) #2461. above™ expects to launch operations in early 2026, subject to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval, using a newly purchased Phenom 100.
“We’re looking forward to working with charter brokers, desperate for additional G-registration [United Kingdom] light jet capacity,” said owner Vince Essex. above™ will operate under the AOC of Alto Aerospace, which is scheduled for rebranding before launch and currently comprises a single King Air B200 Beech (twin turboprop).
The start-up's first aircraft is a 15.7-year-old, four-seat Phenom 100, presently registered in Germany as D-IAAS (msn 50000132) and acquired from Arcus Air (AZE, Mannheim). The German carrier, now phasing out the type in favour of PC-12 turboprops, continues to operate a Phenom 100, while another unit has remained parked at Saarbrücken since September 26.
Arcus Air's fleet further includes two Phenom 300s, one of which has been parked at Munich Augsburg since September 20, along with two Embraer aircraft operated on behalf of Travelcoup (Zurich), namely an E135 inducted in August, which entered service in October, and an E145 added earlier this year.
above™'s Phenom 100 will be primarily stationed at XLR Executive Jet Centres' fixed-base operation (FBO) in Birmingham, GB, while simultaneously operating under a floating-base model. Anticipated core markets include the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and near-Europe routes.
Beyond executive jet charters, above™ will provide aircraft on ground (AOG) support to United Kingdom-based carriers throughout the country, as well as medical evacuation and organ transport services. The company intends to expand into aircraft management and larger-capacity aircraft operations in the future.
above™ is funded through personal capital and local business investment. Essex formerly served as chief commercial officer at Cello Aviation (Birmingham, GB), an ACMI and VIP charter specialist that ran a fleet of semi-privately configured BAe 146s and B737 classic aircraft before ceasing operations in 2018.
