On 21 November, The Air Charter Association (The ACA) hosted its 2024 Air Charter Excellence Awards at the DoubleTree by Hilton Metropole, Brighton, in the UK.

The event saw 500 air charter professionals coming together to honour achievements from across the industry in the past year. The awards ceremony was preceded by a reception and three-course gala dinner. Ten awards were then presented to winners, each sponsored by a relevant industry partner.

Kevin Ducksbury, chairman of The ACA, says: “Congratulations to all the award winners and nominated finalists; it is a pleasure to see the hard work and achievements of our members being recognised. Thank you to all our sponsors and members who attended for their continued support, ensuring that the Air Charter Excellence Awards event continues to be one of the highlights of the industry calendar.”

This year’s winners were:

- Executive Passenger Charter Operator of the Year: Atmospherica Aviation

- Commercial Passenger Charter Operator of the Year: Air Charters Europe

- Cargo Charter Operator of the Year: Cargojet

- Helicopter Charter Operator of the Year: Halo Aviation

- Handling Agent or FBO of the Year: XLR Executive Jet Centres

- Aircraft Manufacturer of the Year: Gulfstream Aerospace

- Charter Operators' Broker of the Year: Hunt & Palmer

- The ACA NextGen Young Person of the Year 2024: Rachel Harvey, Saxon Air

- Sir Michael Marshall Award for Sustainability in Aviation: Luxaviation Group

- Internship 2024 Project Winner: William Bush

After being honoured as Executive Passenger Charter Operator of the Year, Atmospherica Aviation said in a statement: "Every day we try to go above and beyond, making both the possible and seemingly impossible happen, to ensure that our partners and clients receive from us the best possible solutions and services. This award is the embodiment of our hard work."

Neil Harvey, Director of Executive Aviation at Hunt & Palmer, accepting the company's award for Charter Operators' Broker of the Year, said: "We are delighted to be recognised in this category and for the second time,. Coming from ACA's member operators from all over the world, this is recognition indeed. The Hunt & Palmer and Premier Aviation broking and support teams place real value on the open and honest relationships we enjoy with our operating partners, which form the basis of this success.”