Solairus closes Clay Lacy acquisition, begins two-phase transition

Solairus Aviation closed its acquisition of Clay Lacy's aircraft management and charter business on 1 October, according to Private Jet Card Comparisons. The deal was announced in early August and was expected to close by the end of September.

The transition will run in two phases. The first began today, with the second phase starting on 1 November. Solairus founder and CEO Dan Drohan told employees that "today's closing is a major step in a longer integration, and November 1 will be our next important milestone."

The combined operator

Solairus ranks as the 7th-largest U.S. operator by charter and fractional flight hours, while Clay Lacy ranks 17th. However, Drohan noted that when including flight hours from Part 91 aircraft, Solairus recorded 85,067 hours in 2025. According to ARGUS data, that would rank it fourth, behind only NetJets, Flexjet, and Vista Global.

Following the acquisition, Solairus will have around 200 aircraft on its Part 135 charter certificate and 500 aircraft overall under management.

Client transition

Drohan said the company received more than 135 consent assignments from Clay Lacy aircraft management clients. He described these as "a remarkable testament to the relationships those clients built with Clay Lacy and its team and to their confidence in and endorsement of the road ahead."

Drohan also noted that sealing the deal marks a "new and important moment for Solairus and for our small part of the broader aviation industry." He praised teams on both sides for the effort required to reach closing, saying they had "done an incredible amount of work to bring us here."

Drohan also wrote that "this is a business of spinning plates, and from time to time, one will hit the floor. When that happens, we will work together as one team to understand why, pick up the broken pieces, and get another plate spinning."

The reporting does not say whether existing Clay Lacy charter or fractional clients are affected or what changes may apply to their contracts or terms. Solairus has not disclosed what price it paid for the business.