Air Charter Service (ACS) is a global aircraft charter provider with 29 offices around the world in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UAE, UK, and USA.
As a brokerage, Air Charter Service does not own any
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
, but arranges helicopter, private jet, commercial airline, and cargo aircraft charters. Additional services include Jet Cards for its private jets division, Onboard Couriers and Travel & Concierge.
History
In 1990, from a basement in the UK town of Kingston upon Thames, Chris Leach set about creating Air Charter Service (ACS).
In 2015 Air Charter Service announced that it would be investing £10 million ($15 million) in charter technology over the course of the next five years.
Chronology
1990 In the basement of Chris Leach's house, ACS is born.
1993 ACS gets involved in relief operations following Somalia's civil war. Chris Leach works on the ground in war-torn Mogadishu.
1994 ACS charters a number of An-124 aircraft to Rwanda to deliver aid following the genocide.
1995 ACS opens its first overseas offices in Moscow, Russia and an operations base for its new managed fleet in Ostend, Belgium.
1999 On behalf of the Red Cross, ACS creates an air bridge in Kosovo.
2001 ACS rushes aid to Bangladesh following monsoon floods.
2004 ACS expands into the US with the opening of the New York office.
2005 Following the Indian Ocean tsunami, ACS gets heavily involved in completing relief charters and positioning helicopters on long-term lease. ACS enters the Middle Eastern market by opening an office in Dubai.
2006 In response to the Pakistan earthquake, ACS arranges helicopters for the British Government, as well as many other charters for relief agencies.
2007 ACS expands its European presence, opening offices in Spain.
2008 ACS establishes a foothold in the Asian market with an operation in Hong Kong.
2009 ACS continues its continental expansion, opening an office in South Africa and also increases its European presence with an office in France.
2010 ACS opens four new offices in Germany, Canada, Brazil and a second one for Russia in St Petersburg. 100 cargo and passenger charters are organised to deliver aid and key personnel to Haiti following the devastating earthquake. Following the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland hundreds of aircraft are chartered after European airspace reopens.
2011 ACS expands its coverage in USA, with the opening of the Los Angeles office. Over 15,000 people evacuated from Libya, Egypt and Tunisia on ACS chartered aircraft.
2012 Launch of the jet card division and subsequent products. ACS opens offices in India, China and Kazakhstan ACS arranges regular civilian passenger flights between the UK and the Falkland Islands, coordinating regular rotations throughout the year.
2014 ACS expands within North America, opening an office in Houston, Texas.
2015 This year marks the 25th anniversary of the company's formation. ACS announces a major investment an onboard courier / hand-carry division. ACS opens a new office in Miami, USA and a Swiss office in Geneva.
2016 ACS expands into a sixth continent, opening a new office in Sydney, Australia. ACS helps coordinate a 48 sector, six continent world tour for heavy metal band, Iron Maiden.
2018 ACS opens offices in Manhattan and San Francisco.
2019 ACS opens an office in Atlanta.
2020 ACS opens offices in Singapore and Chicago.
Websites
The company has websites covering 34 countries (in a total of 11 languages):
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Australia,
Bolivia,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
,
China,
Colombia,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
,
Republic of Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
,
Switzerland,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
,
UK,
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
,
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
.
References
{{Reflist
Transport companies established in 1990
1990 establishments in the United Kingdom