Wheels Up has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain material assets of Avianis Systems, a private aviation technology company that provides an advanced flight management system (FMS) for private aircraft owners, operators, management companies, charter brokers and flight departments.

Wheels Up says it is making significant investments in technology that will develop new functionality to help private aircraft operators digitise and streamline their services, allowing them to benefit from tools that simplify and speed up task completion via post-booking automation; calculate real-time pricing, feasibility and availability; and create new revenue streams through access to additional flight demand at scale. Avianis will continue to offer its FMS as a stand-alone solution to its existing and future customers.

The acquisition will also allow Wheels Up to accelerate the development of its platform, including its digital Charter Marketplace, which connects a real-time supply of safety-vetted and verified aircraft to the growing flight demand driven by its over 6,000 members across North America. These members are able to look, book and fly through the Wheels Up app. Current and future Wheels Up members will benefit from a larger number of private aircraft and private aircraft types to choose from, as well as competitive real-time pricing.

“We are excited to acquire Avianis's best-in-class technology, and we warmly welcome its talented team into our family,” comments Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter. “We are committed to investing in technology that exceeds the expectations of our members and partners.”

Avianis founder and MD Daniel Tharp adds: “By joining Kenny and the Wheels Up team, we're thrilled to become part of such a powerful brand and company. We quickly recognised that the combination of our assets and teams would allow us to accelerate the development of the Avianis FMS and unlock enormous value and opportunity in an industry that is ripe for positive disruption.”