Volantis is designed to grow. The documentation and financial models are structured around a 2-aircraft fleet — Citation Longitude and Phenom 300E — with aircraft separately financed post-acquisition. Prove utilisation. Build your client base. Then add aircraft incrementally. The documentation framework is built for multi-aircraft operations from the start. Operations manuals, maintenance programmes, and crew training all scale with your fleet.
The company and documentation are designed for growth. Every manual, every programme, every procedure scales from two aircraft to five and beyond.
The £50,000 buys the operating company and all 476 documents. Aircraft are separately financed. The documentation framework is the most valuable asset — it gives you a scalable foundation that would take years and tens of thousands of pounds to build from scratch.
Projected revenue grows linearly with fleet hours. Each additional aircraft adds capacity without proportionally increasing fixed overhead. All aircraft are separately financed.
| Projected Revenue — 2 Aircraft (Year 1 Baseline) | ~£5.38M |
| Projected Revenue — 3 Aircraft (Year 2–3) | ~£8.07M |
| Projected Revenue — 4 Aircraft (Year 3–4) | ~£10.76M |
| Projected Revenue — 5 Aircraft (Year 4–5) | ~£13.45M |
| Weighted Average Charter Rate (market rate) | £5,600/hr |
| Variable Costs Per Flight Hour | ~63% |
| Fixed Overhead (scales modestly) | £34,000–55,000/month |
| Startup Capital (excl. aircraft) | £385,000 |
The key advantage of fleet expansion is operating leverage. Variable costs scale linearly with flight hours, but fixed overhead — management, office, insurance, regulatory compliance — increases only modestly with each additional aircraft. The financial models project a 5-aircraft fleet generating approximately 2.5 times the revenue of a 2-aircraft fleet, while fixed costs increase by only 60%. The models included with the company show these dynamics in detail.
The company purchase is £50,000. Each aircraft addition is financed separately based on proven performance.
Fleet expansion is funded incrementally. You prove the model first, then use your track record to finance growth. Here is how it works at each stage:
The first aircraft finance deal is the hardest — you have no operating history. By the time you are adding aircraft 3, 4, and 5, you have audited accounts, utilisation data, and a proven client base. Each successive aircraft is financed against the track record built by the ones before it.
The financial models included with Volantis project fleet economics at each stage, showing lenders exactly what to expect.
The 476 documents are not built for two aircraft. They are built for a fleet.
The Operations Manual is structured for multi-aircraft operations. When you add a third aircraft, you do not rewrite the manual. You add an aircraft-type supplement. The core procedures — dispatch, crew scheduling, safety reporting, ground handling — remain the same.
Maintenance programmes are structured per aircraft type. The Continuing Airworthiness Management framework scales naturally. Each new aircraft type gets its own maintenance schedule, but the oversight structure and reporting procedures are already in place.
Crew training scales with defined programmes. The Crew Training Manual includes type-rating training structures, recurrent check schedules, and CRM (Crew Resource Management) programmes that accommodate multiple aircraft types and growing crew numbers.
Adding an aircraft to an existing AOC is far simpler than the initial application. The CAA reviews the aircraft-type supplement, assesses crew training, and inspects maintenance arrangements. Your core documentation is already approved. This is a variation, not a new application.
From two aircraft to five. The growth path.
Purchase the company (£50,000). Secure finance for your initial 2-aircraft fleet. Obtain the AOC. Begin charter operations. Build your client base and establish utilisation patterns. The £50,000 buys the operating company and 476 documents — not the aircraft.
Demonstrate strong fleet utilisation and consistent client demand. Build 12–24 months of operating history with audited accounts. This track record is your evidence for fleet expansion finance.
Approach aircraft finance providers with your operating history. Add your third aircraft — the CAA reviews the type supplement and crew training, not the entire AOC application. Projected revenue steps up to approximately £8.07M.
Grow your crew roster. Expand your operating base if needed. Add aircraft 4. Your HR documentation, crew training programmes, and operational procedures are all designed to scale. Projected revenue approaches £10.76M.
Add your fifth aircraft. You are now operating a substantial charter fleet with projected revenue potential exceeding £13M. Fixed overhead has grown modestly while revenue has more than doubled. The operating leverage of fleet expansion is fully realised.
A realistic target is 4–5 years from first operations to a 5-aircraft fleet. Year 1 is about establishing the operation with 2 aircraft and building utilisation. Aircraft 3 typically comes in Year 2–3 once you have a proven track record. Aircraft 4 and 5 follow in Years 3–5. The exact timeline depends on market demand, utilisation levels, and how quickly you can demonstrate profitable operations to aircraft finance providers.
Each additional aircraft is financed separately through the aviation asset finance market. The key difference is that aircraft 3, 4, and 5 are financed against a proven operating history. You have revenue data, utilisation records, audited accounts, and existing client contracts. This makes the finance conversation much stronger than the initial approach. Options include outright purchase with asset finance, operating leases, and ACMI wet-lease arrangements.
As a general rule, you need 2–3 pilots per aircraft to cover flight time limitations, rest requirements, and leave. For cabin crew, 1–2 per aircraft depending on aircraft type and utilisation. A 2-aircraft operation might have 5–6 pilots and 2–3 cabin crew. A 5-aircraft fleet would typically have 12–15 pilots and 5–8 cabin crew. The crew training programmes in the 476 documents are structured to scale with fleet size.
The UK private charter market is substantial and growing. Demand is driven by business travel, high-net-worth individuals, sports teams, entertainment industry, medical transfers, and corporate events. A 5-aircraft fleet with a mix of super-midsize (Citation Longitude) and light-midsize (Phenom 300E) aircraft covers a wide range of mission profiles and client requirements. The financial models include market analysis and demand projections to help you assess the opportunity.
No. Adding aircraft to an existing AOC is a variation, not a new application. You submit the aircraft-type supplement to the Operations Manual, demonstrate crew training for the new type, and show maintenance programme compliance. The CAA reviews and approves the addition. This is significantly faster and simpler than the initial AOC application. The 476-document framework is designed with this modular approach in mind.
Volantis Aviation — an AOC Application-Ready company structure and 476 documents. Aircraft separately financed. Scalable framework. Built for fleet growth.
