On October 23, Sentient Flight Group purchased Hawker Beechcraft’s charter/management business. The announcement came one day after Sentient said it had agreed to buy TAG Aviation USA’s management business. The deal adds 22 employees, contracts for aircraft and another charter certificate to the Sentient stable. When the TAG Aviation USA deal goes through before year-end, Sentient could add as many as another 79 aircraft. The deal also includes TAG Aviation USA’s charter sales and aircraft acquisition/sales divisions.

Sentient is buying the TAG Aviation USA businesses from TAG Aviation Holding, a Swiss company that also owns 49 percent of TAG Aviation USA charter affiliate AMI Jet Charter. The FAA revoked AMI’s charter certificate on October 12, citing alleged foreign influence by TAG on operational control of AMI flights. Sentient said that it is developing plans to transfer aircraft that used to be AMI charter ally partner aircraft to Sentient charter operations “as soon as possible.”

The Hawker Beechcraft charter/management division’s “opportunity to realize true growth potential was limited under HBC,” according to the company. “The sale of the business to Sentient Flight Group provides the synergies needed to grow in the charter and management market.”