Talon, East Farmingdale aviation company, bought by LI-based management team
James Chitty, left, CEO of Talon Air LLC, poses with a jet alongside business partner and COO Nicholas Piazza. A management group led by Chitty recently purchased the charter air service at Farmingdale. Credit: Rick Kopstein
An aviation company in East Farmingdale that offers charter flights and manages private jets for their owners has been purchased by its management team for an undisclosed amount.
Talon Air LLC, which is based at Republic Airport, has been bought by chief executive James Chitty, chief operating officer Nicholas Piazza and an unnamed investment family with an interest in aviation, Chitty said on Thursday.
The transaction means Talon’s fate is back in local hands after years of being owned by an international corporation.
Talon has been affiliated with industry giant Vista Global for the past five years but run by Chitty and Piazza since 2017. The men came to Talon when their previous employer, Apollo Jets, purchased Talon. Apollo then was bought by Vista Global, which is based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Talon, as an independent company, would rank among the 15 largest U.S. operators of charter flights, with more than 11,000 flight hours last year, based on a calculation from Private Jet Card Comparisons, an information service used by charter passengers and financial advisers to compare charter programs.
Talon manages and maintains 38 jets for their owners, with 29 available for charter flights. The company has 160 employees, half of whom are pilots, said Chitty, 45, of Huntington.
"Independence just allows us to be more nimble," he said. "If we want to go lease another hanger, to move a maintenance facility or acquire another company, it's just less red tape to get there."
Chitty, noting Talon’s facility at Republic can accommodate 50 jets, said he hopes to bring additional aircraft under the company’s management. A dozen airplanes were added in the October-December period.
"We are big enough where we have the privilege to say ‘no’ to relationships," he told Newsday. "We're only taking people whose interests are aligned with ours. Our goal is to grow with the right type of airplane owner."
Chitty also said Talon’s charter flights should top 13,000 hours this year.
The ownership change "will allow Talon Air to refocus on what it always was focused on before Vista acquired them, which is managing aircraft for owners," said Doug Gollan, founder and editor-in-chief of the Private Jet Card information service based in Miami
"You will see them expand the number of jets under their management — and every time they get an aircraft under management that brings more business to where the airplane is based," he said, predicting an increase in Talon’s local workforce of 80. "More jobs are going to be created on Long Island in terms of pilots, mechanics and all the people who support the planes. There also will be catering and everything down the supply chain."
Gollan and others said the biggest challenge facing Talon and its competitors would be a downturn in the U.S. economy.
"People can't afford private jets when the economy is tanking," said Gollan, who was born in Hempstead Village. "So, as long as the economy stays strong, businesses continue to report record profits, and airline travel continues to be a poor second choice to flying privately, Talon Air is in a good position."
James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.
