JetClass Mobility Group, the company that launched FlightPooling and Charterscanner, a private jet online booking marketplace with direct access to the world's leading operators, has added the newest member to its leadership team, Andrey Gerasimov. This senior level appointment is just one of the strategic developments that the company is making in its mission to revolutionise the private aviation industry.

At the heart of the organisation's declared ethos is the 'democratisation of private aviation', not by making the experience any less exclusive, but by opening it up through a 100 per cent transparent approach to sourcing and booking aircraft, giving clients details of the various operators and verified information on the aircraft being proposed and allowing them to research and compare offers from various providers before buying. By placing the customer in the driving seat and removing the ‘closed elitist club’ mentality that has kept the private aviation industry in the past and prevented its evolution, Charterscanner has become a key player in this competitive marketplace.

“As a tech entrepreneur, when I first entered the private aviation space with the launch of Charterscanner, my vision was to harness the power of technology to always be at the forefront of innovation and excellence in the market,” says Wagas Ali, CEO and co-founder of Charterscanner. “We are always looking to attract extraordinary talent, experts in their field with the ability to be disruptors and make the sometimes radical changes necessary. While the ongoing closure of global borders due to the pandemic has caused a significant downturn on the number of private flights taken, we see a big rebound in the next one to two years, and so we are delighted to welcome Andrey to the team, whose bold new ideas, coupled with a shared vision and drive for excellence make him the perfect choice to spearhead the evolution of Charterscanner and recapture our leadership position as pioneers of the private aviation industry.”

A seasoned business aviation professional, well-known and respected internationally, Andrey Gerasimov joins the group as regional director and is primarily tasked with taking the Charterscanner business to new heights. As former director of projects for the Russian and CIS markets at Air Charter Service, one of the world's leading private aviation brokerage companies with an annual revenue in excess of $450 million, as well as commercial director at SkyTech, where he was responsible for the establishment of payment processing and distribution services for the world's biggest airlines, Gerasimov brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of business aviation, cutting-edge technology and fintech to Charterscanner.

“Throughout my career, I have been able to see first-hand the challenges faced, but more importantly the opportunities that exist to accelerate progress within the private aviation sector,” he says. “It became clear to me that nothing had really changed in the customer facing processes within the space, despite all the technological advancements at our disposal, which was a source of frustration. When the opportunity to join Charterscanner presented itself, it felt like a natural synergy, with its ongoing commitment to excellence in technology innovation, combined with my expertise in commercial and private aviation. Together we will instigate the changes needed to turn the industry on its head and provide the best customer experience from start to finish.”

Charterscanner's plans will be achieved through continuously upgrading the user experience, leveraging technology such as mobile apps and a smarter booking engine, to improve the platform and make it faster and more accessible, to deliver the process from initial request to confirming a jet booking within 30 minutes. In addition, there are a number of products currently in stealth mode, including new payment channels, an ‘uberisation’ programme and a bidding platform to utilise wasteful empty legs and offset the carbon footprint.