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Solairus Clay Lacy acquisition to create world's largest aircraft management fleet. The Solairus Clay Lacy acquisition, announced on 7 August 2026, will push Solairus Aviation's managed fleet past 500 private aircraft and, according to the two companies, make Solairus the world's largest aircraft management company by fleet size. Financial terms were not disclosed. Under the deal, Solairus is acquiring Clay Lacy Aviation's aircraft management and charter businesses. Solairus currently manages approximately 360 aircraft from more than 100 bases across North America; the Clay Lacy divisions included in the transaction manage a further roughly 140 aircraft. The combined entity will operate from Solairus's existing headquarters in Petaluma, California, with additional offices in Los Angeles and New York. Solairus Clay Lacy acquisition: what is and is not changing hands. The scope of the deal is specific. Clay Lacy Aviation's fixed-base operation (FBO), aircraft maintenance and aviation real estate businesses are excluded from the sale and will continue under the Clay Lacy name and current ownership. Brian Kirkdoffer, Clay Lacy Aviation's chairman, said the transaction would allow the company to concentrate on those remaining operations. Solairus founder and chief executive Dan Drohan framed the deal in terms of market position. 'With this transaction, Solairus solidifies its position as the leading pure-play aircraft management company in the world,' he said. The transaction is expected to close by the end of September 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Until then, the two businesses will continue to operate independently. Charter fleet scale and the commercial logic of consolidation. Beyond the headline managed-fleet figure, the deal assembles a substantial charter operation. According to Private Jet Card Comparisons, the combined charter fleet will comprise nearly 200 aircraft, including 150 large-cabin and ultra-long-haul jets, a concentration of capacity at the top end of the market that positions Solairus to compete for high-yield transatlantic and transpacific demand. The rationale for scale in aircraft management is well established in the sector. Aviation Shop notes that larger managed fleets give operators greater buying power on fuel, insurance and maintenance, access to deeper crew pools, and more charter availability for owners seeking to offset the cost of ownership through revenue flying. A fleet of 500-plus aircraft amplifies each of those levers considerably. Clay Lacy Aviation's managed portfolio currently lists 160 jets representing approximately $3.5 billion in aircraft, according to the company's website, alongside a charter fleet of more than 60 large-cabin business jets. Solairus employs more than 1,200 flight crew and support personnel. The history behind the Clay Lacy name. The Clay Lacy brand carries unusual weight in US business aviation. Clay Lacy founded the company at Van Nuys Airport in California in 1968, establishing what became the first jet charter operation west of the Mississippi. The business initially flew Learjets and built a clientele drawn from Hollywood and the corporate world. Lacy, now 93, accumulated an extensive record in aviation beyond the charter business. He joined United Airlines at age 19, became an early Learjet demonstration pilot and salesman, and went on to set multiple aviation records. As an aerial cinematographer, he used a specially equipped Learjet and the Astrovision camera system on productions including Top Gun and The Right Stuff. In 1988, Lacy flew a Boeing 747SP around the world in 36 hours and 54 minutes as part of the Friendship One record flight. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2010. Kirkdoffer joined Clay Lacy Aviation as a Learjet pilot in 1990, became company president in 2003 and acquired the business from Lacy in 2012. Solairus was founded in 2009. Full details of the transaction are set out in the Solairus Aviation announcement, with the closing deadline of end-September 2026 now the key date for operators, crew and owners with aircraft on either management programme. Ben Lockwood spent ten years in the travel industry before he started writing about it. He worked for a tour operator managing European destinations, moved to a hotel group running partnerships and distribution, and spent two years at an airline on the commercial side before the pandemic reshuffled the industry and his career along with it. He writes about destinations, airlines, hotels, and the travel industry that sits behind the booking page. He knows what load factors, ADR, and RevPAR mean and can explain them without putting the reader to sleep. Ben lives in Hampshire. He has a frequent flyer status he maintains out of stubbornness and an airport lounge ranking he updates mentally on every trip. 29/08/2026 28/08/2026

Solairus Aviation. Solairus To Acquire Clay Lacy Air Charter Management Biz Combined fleet would top 500 managed aircraft August 7, 2026 Solairus Aviation is acquiring Clay Lacy Aviation's aircraft management and charter divisions, which would push the former's managed fleet beyond 500 aircraft. According to Solairus, this deal - announced today and set to close next month - will make it the world's largest business aircraft management provider. Brian Kirkdoffer, chair of Clay Lacy's board, said the deal will allow Clay Lacy to sharpen its focus on its remaining FBO, maintenance, and real estate operations. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed. "With this transaction, Solairus solidifies its position as the leading pure-play aircraft management company in the world," said Solairus founder and CEO Dan Drohan. "It is about people, relationships, trust, and service." The combined company will be "better equipped to enhance the client experience while maintaining the high-touch, personalized management services that have been the hallmark of Solairus and Clay Lacy," he added. The deal stemmed from overlapping values between the two companies around safety and culture, Kirkdoffer said. "We know that we're putting our valued clients in good hands with Solairus." Solairus currently manages roughly 360 aircraft from more than 100 bases across North America, while Clay Lacy manages about 140 aircraft. Once the deal closes, Solairus will run the combined operation out of its Petaluma, California headquarters, as well as offices in Los Angeles and New York.