Léman Aviation founder Nicolas Miras and Vincent Pollet have acquired a stake in Alpes Helicopteres and have taken over its management.

Founded in 2017 and based in Annecy, France, Alpes Helicopteres is a leading player in heli ops in the Alps and Côte d’Azur regions, with a fleet of one Robinson 66 and two Bell VIP 407s.

Miras, whose career began at Airbus, gained experience in the aeronautics industry before joining Sabena technics as vice president sales and marketing, Asia Pacific. His three years as sales director at Bombardier Middle East then Oceania enabled him to acquire essential expertise in aircraft transactions and operations.

Pollet began his career as an engineer with Safran and Air France/KLM, where he developed in-depth technical expertise. He then broadened his skills by moving into sales, holding the positions of bid management manager, vice president sales and aircraft programme director at Sabena technics, before joining HBG Hélicoptères as vice president of sales and marketing.

Under their leadership, Alpes Helicopteres is focusing its growth on passenger air transport, aircraft management and a co-ownership programme. The company is strategically positioned for transfers and business flights between popular destinations in the Alps, Monaco and the Mediterranean, and will continue to pursue historical activities such as panoramic flights over Lake Annecy, the Aravis range and Mont-Blanc, and initiation flights via its approved training school.

Miras and Pollet jointly say: “This company has strong growth potential in the helicopter market. As part of Léman Aviation's global project, it provides a complementary solution to regional air mobility, offering innovative, high quality services to our customers.

“By improving existing business aviation models, we strongly believe in the co-ownership model proposed by Alpes Helicopteres. Accompanied by tailor-made services and an exclusive customer experience before, during and after the flight, it adds a new dimension to air mobility services. This acquisition also prepares Léman Aviation for future transitions by becoming a key player in the mobility of tomorrow with the arrival of new types of assets and new propulsion modes.”