Staff Report
Published Jan. 24, 2012

A North Charleston aviation company acquired ExcelAire, a New York aircraft charter and management company, in a deal that closed Monday.

“We are delighted to be teaming up with ExcelAire as we focus on building our fixed based operations network,” said Steven Levesque, president and CEO of Hawthorne Global Aviation Services. “This acquisition highlights our continued FBO (fixed-base operator) focus with expansion into aircraft charter, management and maintenance.”

ExcelAire provides flights at MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., and has 20 large-cabin aircraft.

The acquisition expands Hawthorne’s network of fixed-base operators across the country.

“This is the first of many such acquisitions,” said Kurt Larsen, a managing partner at Moelis Capital Partners, which formed Hawthorne Global Aviation Services in November with the Hawthorne Corp.

ExcelAire will keep its executive management team at its base in New York.