All of the Above - UK’s newest operator launches with 25 fixed-price routes | Corporate Jet Investor | CJI news

Above, a newly certified UK air operator based at Birmingham Airport's XLR Executive Jet Centre, has entered the market with an unconventional pricing model: 25 published fixed-price city-pair routes across the UK and near-Europe, layered on top of traditional on-demand charter sold through brokers. Founded by Vince Essex, a 30-year aviation veteran who previously built the all-business-class narrow-body operation Cello Aviation, Above emerged from the acquisition and reconstitution of Bournemouth-based King Air operator Alto Aerospace. The seven-month process involved removing the King Air from the certificate, renaming the company, rewriting operations manuals, and adding the Embraer Phenom 100 to the AOC — culminating in CAA approval in mid-July. The operator currently flies a single Phenom 100 (G-FABV), with a second aircraft identified and positioning under discussion.

The business model is notable for what it reveals about shifting demand in the light-jet charter segment. Essex explicitly positions Above below the ultra-high-net-worth clientele served by NetJets and VistaJet, targeting instead "modern achievers" — small business owners and higher-disposable-income professionals who may not have previously considered private aviation accessible or affordable. By publishing fixed prices for specific city pairs (built from ADSB traffic data and demand analysis for leisure, second-home, and corporate travel patterns), Above is attempting to demystify charter pricing and lower the psychological barrier to first-time buyers, framing a Birmingham-to-Paris trip as cost-competitive when split among four passengers. Critically, Essex is emphatic that Above will not disintermediate brokers — commission is baked into every fixed-price route — a stance that distinguishes this launch from broker-bypass models some new entrants have tried, and one that should reassure the broker community that Above is additive to their pipeline rather than a threat to it.

For operators and charter brokers, Above's launch is a useful case study in fleet standardization strategy. Essex is deliberately building a single-type, single-configuration operation — Phenom 100s only, identical interiors and delivery experience regardless of tail number — to guarantee product consistency for brokers and clients alike. His stated preference for economics over cabin size (an ability to operate multiple Phenom 100s for the acquisition cost of one larger Phenom 300, with used 2010-vintage aircraft trading around $2 million) reflects a broader value-conscious trend playing out across the light-jet and very-light-jet charter market, where operators are increasingly choosing capital efficiency and fleet commonality over range and payload flexibility. Essex's stated loyalty to the Embraer platform — from the Phenom 100 up through the E-Jet family — also signals a potential growth pathway back into the all-business narrow-body sector he pioneered at Cello, suggesting Above could eventually straddle both light-jet charter and larger group/VIP travel segments under one operator umbrella.

More broadly, Above's entry reflects continued fragmentation and localization in the European charter market, with new operators seeking underserved regional bases — Birmingham, in this case, chosen specifically because it lacked a locally based jet and offers unrestricted, 24/7 slot access from a centrally located UK airport. This mirrors a wider trend of charter operators establishing regional footholds outside saturated London-area airports, betting that data-driven route selection and pricing transparency can stimulate latent demand rather than simply compete for existing charter customers. For working pilots and flight departments, Above's approach — deliberately avoiding aggressive hour-chasing in favor of a disciplined, brand-consistent operation — signals a charter growth model built on repeatable service quality rather than rapid fleet expansion, a strategy other new entrants may watch closely as the light-jet segment continues to attract fresh competition and alternative business models.