Charter Group, the owner of investment firm Chartermarkets and retail broker Charterprime, announced on Tuesday that it is expanding into the aviation business with the launch of a new company called CharterAero.
Nope, that wasn't a typo. The company's owners have decided to branch out into a completely new field and have bought a set of Airbus helicopters.
“A fleet of helicopters is definitely a step in an exciting direction for us," said Simon Stephen, Managing Partner of Charter Group. "The breadth of our network and team always helps create massive value in whatever industry we venture into. To the point, some of our choppers were actually used in the production of the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians.”
According to a statement released by the firm, the choppers will be used to carry out a range of different activities. Most obvious amongst those is to use the helicopters as a means of transporting wealthier individuals from one place to another.
Charter Group - City Surveyors
But that won't be the only thing that CharterAero's customers do. The firm said it has plans to use its helicopters for aerial photography, aerial videography, city tours, LIDAR and FLIR inspections, project inspection, moving aerial surveys, leisure flights, and film production.
The new service seems to be the brainchild of Charter Group founder Calvin Lau who is a qualified helicopter pilot.
"I’ve always been passionate about flying," said Lau. "Starting as a personal interest and hobby of mine, this has turned into an exciting business with ancillary benefits to the entire group. Operating these luxury services has not only been a tremendous value-add for existing [clients], but in many cases helped attract new ones.”
Though it is certainly a substantial move away from its traditional service offerings, Charter Markets has branched out into offering a number of different products and services since its founding in 2012. Most notable in this regard has been its moves in the E-Sports arena which, as with the new helicopter business, is detached from its regular, investment-oriented service offering.
