After spending time in the USA and being inspired by Silicon Valley's Uber and Air BnB, aviation entrepreneur James Moon decided that he wanted to disrupt private aviation.

On his return to his home of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK, he decided to found aviation tech start-up TailHail, a membership-based private jet platform of its type outside of the USA. The innovative and disruptive approach of the company will deliver James' vision of 'private aviation for all'.

The company is building an online membership-based charter platform that will allow any individual, group or businesses to find, book and fly on a private jet at accessible and affordable prices. The platform also offers aircraft operators of private jets the opportunity to increase their flight hours from the aircraft that they manage and to reduce their exposure to the costly business of empty or under occupied flights. The platform has the ability to capture and record aircraft information including service and safety history of all aircraft on the platform, given each aircraft will need to be approved for charter use before being visible to TailHail members. This means its members can know that they are flying on quality, legally registered aircraft only and removes the possibility of illegal charter or aircraft that are not permitted for charter use.

Moon says: “I founded TailHail as a way of democratising private jets, making flying privately more accessible and affordable for all. Our four types of membership cater for all types of members out there, from the millennial market all the way to business markets. I want to positively change and improve the way that people fly. Anyone can now fly on a private jet thanks to TailHail; once you have experienced flying privately, I am confident that you won't ever want to fly on a commercial airline again.”

With the market for TailHail being around one and a half to two million people and businesses, TailHail is predicting that even more people and businesses will choose to fly privately as a result of the COVID-19 virus: “Against the approximately 700 touchpoints that expose passengers to the risk of contagion on every single commercial flight, flying privately, with only 20 touchpoints, ensures a 30-times lower risk.

“People will be more cautious and conscious, putting their health first now when they fly; if they can avoid exposure at busy airports and airlines, they will look to. Flying privately through TailHail allows our members to avoid the airports and to fly with friends, family or their work colleagues only. Through our innovative flight sharing feature, members of TailHail will now be able to fly privately a lot cheaper. I am forecasting that a lot of businesses around the world will look to become members of TailHail to protect their employees when it comes to travel and to allow for business opportunities to be seized upon.”

TailHail is backed by serial entrepreneur and investor Neil Stephenson, start-up investor Paul Callaghan and additional angel investors.

Callaghan says: "We look for ambitious entrepreneurs who want to disrupt major industries and who see the benefit of having investors actively supporting their business operations. The TailHail team fits the bill perfectly."

TailHail has set ambitious growth plans, aiming to become a major tech player and leader in the aviation industry “Our plan is to have over 20,000 members actively on the platform within five years. In the medium term we'll be looking to build significantly in the next six to 12 months to prove the business model and continue the expansion of the business.”