Press Release

Issued by NBAA.

April 9, 2014

Two US aviation industry veterans and entrepreneurs, Jane F. McBride and Patricia Zinkowski, have announced the launch of Avicus Group Limited at ABACE 2014 to further serve the growing global aviation market. 

With its headquarters in US, sales offices in London and Hong Kong and a representative office in Shanghai, China, Avicus focuses on the increasingly important Asia Pacific market, while connecting the well-developed western aviation world to the future center of global aviation industry.

The legend of McBride and Zinkowski dates back to 1985, when they founded one of the first Part 121 charter brokerage services, Flight Time Corporation in Boston. By 2000, the company had more than 120 employees and offices in the UK, Italy, Holland and Germany. Its clients included presidential candidates, professional sports teams and Fortune 500 companies including American Express, General Motors, and Procter & Gamble.

After a mid-career sabbatical during which time the women founded a nonprofit organization to protect young Asian girls from human trafficking (www.friendsofthaidaughters.org), McBride and Zinkowski decided to approach the emerging Asian aviation market. They entered mainland China in 2011 under the brand name “Private Jet Journeys” (Meng Xiang Tian Xia) in Shanghai, China, offering global air charter brokerage and bespoke private jet journeys to Chinese elite travellers. Now with an international team of Western and Asian aviation experts, the company has developed an extensive network of operators, luxury brands partners, and elite travel service providers.

“Once all of these pieces were in place, we decided to take it one step further and create Avicus Group Ltd. to provide our worldwide customers with a full range of aviation-focused services,” Jane McBride, ceo of Avicus. “These services include global air charters, bespoke international travel programs, aircraft sales and leasing, and aviation consulting.”

Built upon the founders' deep roots in the global aviation industry, Avicus has an extensive network of more than 10,000 aircraft worldwide, ranging from business jets to vip airliners and widebody aircraft. Its charter brokerage service covers the whole globe. Avicus also leverages its founders and advisors' unrivaled depth of knowledge and contacts, and offers clients exclusive access to the most prestigious and exclusive experiences worldwide.

“With an international team of western aviation professionals and Asian market experts, Avicus is building a bridge between the emerging Asia Pacific aviation industry and the well-developed western aviation world,” noted Zinkowski. “Now Avicus can offer its Asian customers a broad spectrum aviation-focused services.”