Charter broker Air Charter Service (ACS) achieved a 35% increase in revenues in the first quarter of the year, led by strong performance in its air cargo business.
In its fiscal-year first quarter, the UK-headquartered firm saw revenues increase 35% on a year ago to $380m while overall charter volumes improved by 19% against last year’s levels.
The company’s response to the Middle East conflict had helped boost numbers.
Founder and chairman Chris Leach explained: “The strongest growth in terms of charter numbers, out of our three main divisions, came from our cargo department, which saw over 70% more charters than the same period last year, and revenue up by 41%.
“In part, these increases were due to supply chain disruptions caused by the conflict in Iran, as well as the repercussions of Storm Marta and the port closures that it caused in Morocco.”
The company’s private jet business saw flights increase 13% and revenues grow 27%, while the group charter business was up 40% for both flights and revenues due to increased flying out of the Middle East.
“Of our smaller divisions, ACS Leasing has had incredible success, with some large contracts meaning
that revenue has already eclipsed last year’s total after only three months of the year,” said Leach.
“And our Time Critical Services offering has seen a 52% increase in contract numbers and a remarkable 101% growth in revenue, as they continue to make huge strides in onboard courier (OBC) and next flight out (NFO) sales
under the new leadership team.”
Leach added that the outlook for the rest of the year is uncertain, as the fallout from the Iran conflict and other geopolitical situations means that the industry is “in the most uncertain period since Covid, making it impossible to
foresee what effects these situations will have on the charter market going forward”.
“Our global footprint, diverse businesses and portfolio of clients does, however, mean that we are well-placed to
deal with whatever happens in the coming months,” he added.
The strong start to the year, follows on from improved performance in the 2025/26 fiscal year.
