George J. Priester agrees to acquire two charter operators

George J. Priester Aviation said it is expanding via two acquisitions.

The Chicago-based management and charter operator has entered into agreements that will see it add Omni Air Transport and Sunrise Jets.

Previous acquisitions included Hill Private from Georgia and Colorado-based Mayo Aviation.

At the time, Priester Aviation created George J. Priester Aviation as a parent organization.

The transactions are expected to close by the end of the month.

The deal will add 13 managed aircraft, with at least eight available for charter.

Aircraft types include a Challenger 350, Challenger 604, Cessna Citation Sovereign and XLS models, Learjets 40, 45, 60, and 75, and a HondaJet.

Chairman Andy Priester said, “We’re proud to bring these longstanding private aviation providers into the George J. Priester family.”

He added, “Both share our culture of customer-focused, local-service oriented management and charter that we have committed to deliver for decades. These are two family companies built on strong values and relationships with their clients and communities.”

Omni Air Transport is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Sunrise Jets is based in Westhampton, New York.

The acquisitions strengthen operations in the U.S. South Central and Northeast regions, complementing existing bases in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain West, and Southeast.

Chicago-based Priester traces its history back 80 years, and both acquisitions have 40-year histories in private aviation.

Priester said:

‘It’s important to us that the brands we bring on have been great advocates for aviation futures themselves. The fact that they’ve been a long-term regional destination employer demonstrates that they’ve done it the right way. We’re honored to continue that legacy and eager to bring them into an exciting future.’

Priester relaunched its jet card in 2024.