Part 135 company for sale

Part 135 company for sale

5 pilots 5 airplanes Passenger and Cargo IFR Cirrus SR22 approved

Main features and advantages of this charter company

  1. Currently active and operational
  2. Cargo approval
  3. 5 pilots 5 aircraft approved
  4. Upgrade potential
  5. IFR approved
  6. Internal check airmen
  7. Internal instructors
Advantage of the charter company
Advantages of the charter company
  1. Over 20 years of history
  2. No accidents
  3. Multiple types of aircraft in the history
  4. Cirrus SR22 approved
  5. New company
  6. Transition help if needed
  7. Expert consultation

This charter company has some unique advantages not available in most midlevel part 135 companies or even full certificates. With proper arrangements, you can even start operations almost immediately, which is rare in most charter company purchases.

The certificate was operational for 20+ years. We recently certified a Cirrus SR22. The airplane is currently active.
Cirrus SR22 is probably the most profitable aircraft for charter. One charter operator with only one leased SR22 and a hired pilot made xxx income and xxx profit.
There are a few larger charter operators that only use Cirrus aircraft due to its advantages and profit.

A basic certificate is a good way to start a part 135 business. The certificate allows 5 pilots and 5 airplanes of 3 different types. You can start with 1 or 2 airplanes and then grow and change as necessary. It has enough room to operate as a business and can also upgrade to an unlimited full certificate.

Advantages of this part 135 company

1. Currently active and operational 135 charter company

This is one of the most important factors. A dormant or currently not operational 135 could take a year or more to get up and operational. When we purchased, everything was ready but it still took over a year for me to get through all the stages and become operational. It is not only the time. It costs a considerable amount since you have to maintain all positions, conform the aircraft and maintain commercial insurance among other things. I've seen many buyers misguided in this regard where it sounds easy and fast to start operations. It is not. Everything has to be approved through the FAA. Also, from my experience, with non-operational 135 companies the FAA seems to lower the prioritization, which is understandable but means each stage takes longer to complete.
I've seen on some occasions where buyers were unable to get operational at all.
When the company becomes active and operational things are more routine and you can get any necessary help faster with the FAA as well.
Even though you are planning to use completely different types of aircraft and operation plan, it is best to buy an active company and gradually change to what you prefer. Even though I do not want to sell the Cirrus which is active in the certificate, the reason I offered is because the advantage it provides the buyer to keep the active status of the company is an attractive factor we can offer.

2. Cargo approved

Cargo approval is a separate approval for a charter certificate. Having cargo approval is very valuable. There are many cargo air transport contracts available and some 135 operators only do cargo. You can also operate as a subsidiary to larger cargo carriers. Many 135 certificates are only approved for passengers. Having cargo approval means you have more market options.

3. 5 pilots 5 aircraft 3 aircraft types

Basic (or 5/5) certificate gives you enough flexibility to operate as a business. Same types of airplane or multiple different types for different customer needs. You can even certify turboprops or jets (less than 9 passengers). I've seen a number of charter businesses start or bought as a single pilot operation and then get stuck or consume significant time to upgrade.

4. Upgrade potential

It is easier to upgrade to a full certificate since everything is already structured. In fact, our FAA principal operations inspector (POI) mentioned that our certificate already has all the documentation to upgrade to a full certificate.

5. IFR approved

IFR certification is something you really need in charter operations. Otherwise there are a lot of cancellations due to weather limitations, losing both revenue and customers.

IFR certification in a 135 is a separate process. Airplanes and equipment, training manuals, General Operating Manual; all have to comply to get approved. This certificate is IFR capable and current.

6. Internal check airmen

There are checkrides needed every 6 months for pilot currency requirements. If you don't have an internal checkairman, you have to do all checkrides with the FAA. There is limited availability, and you may have to ground airplanes or pilots while waiting.
Another main advantage is that during a checkride evaluation, if the pilot makes a mistake or underperforms, the checkairman is allowed to pause the checkride, retrain the maneuver, and then have it repeated in the same flight. With the FAA, they can't do that. The rest of the checkride has to be rescheduled to be completed.

Checkairmen can can do the following checkrides and approve the pilots:
Initial PIC
6 month IPC
One year recurrency checks
So it is a great advantage to have checkairmen in the company

7. Internal instructors

We have 2 internal instructors certified. These instructors can do all the training requirements for initial and recurrent pilots.

8. Over 20 years of history

One of the main factors on which the value of the charter certificate is dependent is how long it has been operating. Like fine wine, the longer the certificate has been around, the better the value, and usually the better the FAA treats them. Because the FAA can see the longstanding, good history.
This certificate has been operational for over 20 years. It has significant value for being operational for that long.

9. No accidents

How the certificate has been operated is important. Having any FAA violations, accidents or serious FAA warnings in the past affects the certificate. The FAA is likely to be cautious about a charter company with any of those marks in its history and it may be harder to get things approved. This certificate hasn’t had any accidents.

10. Multiple types of single and twin aircraft history

The type of aircraft currently on a certificate and those that have been on the certificate in the past are important. This certificate has had multiple different aircraft in the past, including a Bonanza and, more recently, a popular twin aircraft for charter, the Cessna 421C Golden Eagle.
Since there are documents already approved by the FAA for the company, if you need to add these aircraft again in the future, it is faster, less expensive, and an easier process.

11. Cirrus SR22 certified and active. We can sell the certificate with or without the plane

Most charter companies sell as shell companies without airplanes. You need to certify your own airplanes before you can start operations. This company gives you the option to buy the certified SR22 plane and start operations immediately. The aircraft had only one previous owner and was kept in mint condition. Low hour airframe and engine. All of the main required items are completed, and it can operate for many years without major expense. Upgraded avionics, TKS de ice, and many other features.

12. New company

Even though the certificate is mature at over 20 years of operation, it was recently transferred to a new LLC. This is a great advantage because older companies can have liability or tax issues that can come up at a later time. It is harder to search through all the years of history. But for a new company, it is much easier.
Under only limited circumstances, the FAA is willing to transfer a certificate to a new company. It is quite rare. We have the unique advantage of a longer and more valuable certificate held by a newly formed company with clean liability and tax history.

13. Transition help if needed

When you buy a part 135 charter company, it requires proper transfer to new ownership. The company can be transferred immediately, but management and staff transfers need to be done in stages and take time, even though many sellers just want to sell the company and close the transaction. That could create problems in the future. We like to help with the transition, which is one of the most important factors.

14. Expert consultation

Unless you have owned a 135 company before and successfully operated it, you need consultation. Just like when doing anything else, successfully looking at all the factors and doing proper planning is important for success. For example, one gentleman I spoke to recently bought a 135 company and started operations. A few months down the road the aircraft engine timed out. Since at that time engine overhauls took 6-8 months, the charters had to stop. This resulted in him losing customers and pilots. This could have been simply avoided by looking at the requirements and ordering an engine ahead of time. There are many tools and software that make charter operations much easier. I think it is important to be able to consult people who have practical knowledge. Someone who has owned a 135 or held DO or CP positions. If you have previous experience or the proper guidance that is great. But if you need help we have staff with excellent knowledge and experience. Some of our staff members have decades of part 135 management experience in larger charter operations. We can help with training, aircraft purchasing and upgrades, regulations and requirements, creating manuals, company websites, connecting you with charter brokers and many other services to make it a successful business.

Advantages of Cirrus SR22 in charter operations

Cirrus SR22 charter operations

The reason we decided to add the Cirrus SR22 to the charter certificate is that the plane is one of the most popular and profitable aircraft for charter.

There are a few larger charter companies that operate only the Cirrus SR22 due to its many advantages.

Cirrus SR22 is conformed and active on the certificate. I prefer to sell just the company and not the plane. The reason I offered the plane, as I mentioned before, is that it is extremely important to keep the active status of the 135. This would help the buyer to achieve that. Another option is I can lease the plane until you add your own plane then you can remove the current plane.

  1. Cirrus SR22 is in the premium air charter category. A better airplane for higher customer satisfaction.
  2. It is designed with features to be certified for IFR under part 135. There are requirements for single engine aircraft such as dual alternators, autopilot, balanced current load etc. Cirrus has all of these from the factory to make it easier to certify for part 135 IFR.
  3. It is newer so there are not too many AD’s and service bulletins to comply with for certification.
  4. Does not need any upgrades to be certified.
  5. A lot of planes are available to buy and add to the fleet.
  6. All SR22’s, including all generations and even turbos, fall under the same type certificate. Therefore, once you have any SR22 approved in the certificate, you can add any other models without going through the complete approval process. You need to add training for any variance in avionics or equipment but it is significantly less work than certifying a new model.
  7. Low cost operation. Overall operational cost is fairly low.
  8. Lower insurance cost. Because it is a safer, fixed gear airplane, commercial insurance is low compared to other airplanes.
  9. Speed and performance. SR22 has great performance.
  10. Cirrus avionics package helps to fly safer. We have done some upgrades to our aircraft as well.
  11. Safety of the parachute. Some customers are concerned about single engine airplanes. But having the parachute is a big part of the solution.
  12. Customers have usually heard of or know about Cirrus since it is the most popular airplane of this century. Customers like to select or use something they know.
  13. You can have all the comfortable features like AC. Many SR22’s come with factory AC or you can upgrade.
  14. There are very successful Charter operators that only use Cirrus aircraft. It has proven to be a successful model for Charter.
  15. Maintenance and parts availability. Cirrus is planning to catch up on the shortages they’ve been having by this summer.
  16. Many pilots have experience flying an SR22. Also, it is a plane many pilots like to fly.
  17. Since there is a large fleet available, many mechanics and shops are able to do maintenance.
  18. Spacious and comfortable airplane for customers.
Cirrus SR22 comfortable & roomier cabin


Cirrus SR22 has a comfortable, roomier cabin with great visibility. Also can have all luxury features such as AC.


Income

Your income is based on a number of facts. Location, number of airplanes and pilots, and hours of flights. Just to get an idea, I included a screenshot of how much a broker charges for SR22 for a 1 hour 45 min flight. This may include repositioning and broker fees. You get the balance after brokerage charges. You can have your own customer base as well.

Sample broker listing

Sample of a broker listing

 Overall, the SR22 is a great platform to start and operate a charter.

We have a low-time, fully upgraded SR22 currently operating in the certificate. We can sell the airplane with the purchase of the company if requested.

We own the company. There are no broker fees. Also as you see based on the details of this page, we like to provide extensive details to guide and help the customer. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

Appreciate your interest