Desert Jet Sells Charter Business

Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (KTRM), also known as Thermal Airport, is situated in the Coachella Valley of Southern California, offering direct access to renowned music festivals, golf courses and driving clubs. Since 2007, Desert Jet has served as a full-fledged private aviation resource for locals and travelers alike. However, big changes are taking place for the company.

In September, Desert Jet announced the sale of its charter subsidiary to Advanced Air, another aviation company located in Hawthorne, California. According to Desert Jet CEO Jared Fox, the decision to sell was made to concentrate its efforts on expanding its maintenance and fixed-base operator (FBO) services to a national scale.

The decision was partly predicated on operating the various businesses and, in particular, charter’s evolution, Fox says. “And as the FBO has really become successful and more evident to us, that’s where we can really make an impact in the industry. That was where we ultimately decided it was best for us to put more investment into.”

Fox, a lifelong aviation enthusiast, joined Desert Jet as CEO in 2019 during a transitional period for the company, which included a change in ownership and a large investment into its FBO operations—a period Fox and his team refer to as “the new Desert Jet.”

Prior to this transition, Desert Jet operated as a private air charter, an FBO and a Part 145 repair station.

As recently as May 2024, the company was actively growing its charter fleet with the addition of a Bombardier Challenger 300. Ultimately, the sale of its charter business was deemed necessary for the company’s ambitions as an independent FBO. Its first step in growing the FBO business is constructing a 60,000-ft.² expansion to its hangar at Thermal Airport.

According to Fox, feedback from his clientele suggests a demand for more independent FBOs across the U.S.

“We have more control over our own destiny in that part of the industry than other parts, specifically charter, where you can do everything absolutely right and you can still not find success,” he says. “And so, we’ve partnered with Advanced Air, who’s been hugely successful at it, has a great location for it in Los Angeles, and we’re confident that they’ll be able to carry on our fleet and help our employees and clients as they go forward, and we’ll be able to focus with more investment and time in the FBO and maintenance work.”

While the company could not disclose the value of the sale, Fox maintains that whom they sold to took priority over how much they sold it for.

“The focus was more on finding the right partner that is going to be able to take the best care of the employees that are going to make the transition,” Fox says. “So that’s the pilots, that’s mission control specialists, that’s the salespeople and then also the aircraft owners. They can know that they’re going to a highly qualified operator that has the same values that Desert has and that’s doing the right thing. That’s not running the business based on bottom line or the top line of revenue.”

Often, the partial sale of a business can spell disaster for the people who work there. In Desert Jet’s case, approximately 90% of its charter staff will be offered positions at Advanced Air. For Fox, the decision to part ways with his charter staff was not made lightly.

“Post-COVID, there’s been a big impact on pilot availability, in particular, the Part 119, so the director of operations, the chief pilot and the director of maintenance. Those positions are more difficult than ever to find high-quality talent and people who can share a vision to grow the business,” he says. “We have a great group of those here that we’re very grateful for, but they’re highly sought after. And part of the awareness that I have is that they’re going to continue to find new opportunities.”

Fox’s experience working at FBOs in Southern Florida as a teenager informed his approach to managing aviation businesses on a larger scale. Shortly after graduating from college, Fox began working at Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport under the tenure of Don Campion, to whom he gives credit.

“[That] was my first experience of working at a larger FBO that really does it the right way,” he says. "Client-first, making the investment to do it right and delivering that high-quality service that seems to be more rare these days in our industry.”

Fox aims to continue serving the communities surrounding Thermal Airport and others as the company expands to new locations in the Western U.S. In 2022, Desert Jet launched a job-shadowing program for local high school seniors to introduce students to aviation careers outside of piloting aircraft.

“What we do also falls outside of the fence of the airport, and that’s an involvement in the community, and that’s a big piece of what we want to duplicate as we’re able to expand,” he says. “That is offering up exposure to the aviation industry, not just the industry, but the world of aviation, to the youth in the community.”

According to Fox, Desert Jet offers educational programs for elementary, middle and high school students. Fox, who began flying at 14 years old, believes aviation could be used to help inspire students despite the numerous “external forces” facing them today.

“I was the kid outside the fence looking at airplanes take off, but ultimately, I wanted to know how, if there was a way … to fly,” he says. “Many people drive past airports and don’t know what’s going on behind those fences,” he says. Part of Desert Jet’s focus is therefore to educate the community about its business so people can “understand this is just like having a park or another community resource down the street that can be used.”