Solairus Aviation has agreed to acquire Clay Lacy Aviation’s aircraft management and charter divisions, a transaction that would create a combined managed fleet of more than 500 aircraft. The deal, unveiled on 7 August, would make Solairus the world’s largest managed fleet operator by aircraft count if completed.
Solairus, based in Petaluma, California, will keep its headquarters there and retain offices in Los Angeles and New York. The two businesses will continue to operate separately until closing, which is expected at the end of September, pending regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.
The combination brings together Solairus’s fleet of about 360 aircraft and Clay Lacy’s managed fleet of roughly 140. The acquisition does not include Clay Lacy’s FBO, maintenance or real estate businesses, which remain outside the transaction and under the Clay Lacy name. Founded in 1968, Clay Lacy has Jefferies as its exclusive financial adviser on the deal.