flyExclusive Inc. (NYSE American: FLYX), a publicly traded provider
of premium jet charter experiences, has entered a definitive
agreement to acquire the aviation business of Jet.AI Inc. (NASDAQ:
JTAI), an innovative private aviation and artificial intelligence
company.
flyExclusive will acquire the business in
conjunction with Jet.AI’s focus on being a pure-play AI solutions
company. The transaction will occur following Jet.AI’s spin of the
business into a new company (“SpinCo”), which would then be
acquired by flyExclusive (collectively, the “Business
Combination”). Jet.AI shareholders will retain their Jet.AI stock
and receive new Class A common shares in flyExclusive as part of
the transaction. The Business Combination is contingent upon the
closing conditions outlined in the agreement.
This strategic Business Combination is a natural
fit for flyExclusive to acquire Jet.AI’s aviation business, as both
companies operate planes from Textron Aviation and HondaJet and the
acquired assets will help support flyExclusive’s 2025 growth plans.
As the one of the largest and most well-established companies in
private aviation, flyExclusive brings a robust fleet and leading
operational expertise. This deal is mutually beneficial as it is
expected to provide flyExclusive with additional growth capital and
enhanced shareholder liquidity and to allow Jet.AI to focus as a
pure-play AI solutions company.
flyExclusive’s Founder and Chief Executive
Officer, Jim Segrave noted “The proposed transaction with Jet.AI is
the latest example of the value flyExclusive’s vertically
integrated private aviation platform provides to industry
participants. The transaction benefits flyExclusive investors and
will augment our continued growth and market share expansion as an
industry leader. Additional growth capital and new shareholders
provide an early tailwind in 2025 as we onboard additional
high-performance aircraft and serve strong demand for our
differentiated customer service.’
"This Business Combination with flyExclusive
offers our shareholders the opportunity to benefit from growth in
both private aviation and AI," said Jet.AI Founder and Executive
Chairman Mike Winston. "flyExclusive, the fifth-largest operator in
the industry by hours flown, is a natural fit, with clear synergies
given the common aircraft we operate.”
Transaction Details
The Business Combination is structured as an
all-stock transaction, spinning off Jet.AI’s charter business
assets into the SpinCo, which in turn will be acquired by
flyExclusive. Key details of the transaction include:
- Ownership: The
Business Combination consideration will be in the form of a number
of fully paid and non-assessable shares of Class A common stock of
flyExclusive equal to the quotient of the purchase price, divided
by the average volume-weighted average price of flyExclusive’s
stock for the thirty trading days immediately prior to the
effective date. Jet.AI shareholders will retain their Jet.AI stock
while receiving new Class A common shares in flyExclusive to
account for the portion of the aviation business being
spun-off.
- Purchase Price:
The purchase price shall be determined based on Jet.AI’s Net Cash
multiplied by the Applicable Premium Percentage. Net Cash of at
least $12 million is a condition to closing the Business
Combination and will consist of the Company’s cash on hand
(including any deposits held by Textron Aviation) subtracting any
cash net working capital requirement mutually agreed upon, and
transaction costs triggered by the closing of the Business
Combination. To satisfy closing conditions and to meet the
company’s ongoing financing requirements, Jet.AI has signed a $50
million non-binding term sheet with Hexstone Capital LP on economic
terms substantially similar to those of its existing $16.5 million
arrangement with Ionic Ventures LLC. The applicable premium
percentage paid for the aviation business will be between 115% and
120% equivalent to a dollar value today contemplated in the range
of $12mm to $22mm, depending on the Net Cash value at the close of
transaction.
- Timing: The
transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025,
subject to various closing conditions, including but not limited to
Jet.AI financing, regulatory review, and shareholder approval.
About flyExclusive
flyExclusive is a vertically integrated,
FAA-certificated air carrier providing private jet experiences by
offering customers a choice of on-demand charter, Jet Club, and
fractional ownership services to destinations across the globe.
flyExclusive has one of the world’s largest fleets of Cessna
Citation aircraft, and it operates a combined total of
approximately 100 jets, ranging from light to large cabin sizes.
The company manages all aspects of the customer experience,
ensuring that every flight is on a modern, comfortable, and safe
aircraft. flyExclusive’s in-house repair station, aircraft paint,
cabin interior renovation, and avionics installation capabilities,
are all provided from its campus headquarters in Kinston, North
Carolina. To learn more, visit www.flyexclusive.com.
About Jet.AI
Jet.AI currently operates in two segments,
Software and Aviation, respectively. The Software segment features
the B2C CharterGPT app, the Ava agentic booking AI, and the B2B
Jet.AI Operator platform. The CharterGPT app and Ava both use
natural language processing and machine learning to improve the
private jet booking experience. The Jet.AI operator platform offers
a suite of stand-alone software products to enable FAA Part 135
charter providers to add revenue, maximize efficiency, and reduce
environmental impact. The Aviation segment features jet aircraft
fractions, jet cards, on-fleet charter, management, and buyer’s
brokerage. Jet.AI is an official partner of the Las Vegas Golden
Knights, 2023 NHL Stanley Cup® champions. The Company was founded
in 2018 and is based in Las Vegas, NV and San Francisco, CA.
Additional
Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the
Business Combination, flyExclusive and Jet.AI intend to file
relevant materials with the SEC, including a registration statement
on Form S-4, which will include a proxy statement/prospectus. After
the registration statement is declared effective by the SEC, the
definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents
will be mailed to the shareholders of Jet.AI as of the record date
established for voting on the Business Combination and will contain
important information about the Business Combination and related
matters. Shareholders of Jet.AI and other interested persons are
advised to read, when available, these materials (including any
amendments or supplements thereto) and any other relevant documents
in connection with Jet.AI’s solicitation of proxies for the meeting
of shareholders to be held to approve, among other things, the
proposed Business Combination because they will contain important
information about Jet.AI, flyExclusive and the Business
Combination. Shareholders will also be able to obtain copies of the
preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy
statement/prospectus and other relevant materials in connection
with the transaction without charge, once available, at the SEC’s
website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: Jet.AI Inc.,
10845 Griffith Peak Drive, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV 89135,
Attention: John Yi, email: Jet.AI@gateway-grp.com or Telephone:
(949) 574-3860.
Participants
in the Solicitation
Jet.AI and its
respective directors and executive officers may be deemed
participants in the solicitation of proxies from Jet.AI’s
shareholders in connection with the Business Combination. Jet.AI’s
shareholders and other interested persons may obtain, without
charge, more detailed information regarding the directors and
officers of Jet.AI as reflected in the annual report on Form 10-K
for the period ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on April
1, 2024, as amended by Form 10-K/A filed on April 29, 2024.
Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be
deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies to Jet.AI’s
shareholders in connection with the Business Combination will be
set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus for the Business
Combination when available. Additional information regarding the
interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in
connection with the Business Combination will be included in the
proxy statement/prospectus that flyExclusive and Jet.AI intend to
file with the SEC. You may obtain free copies of these documents as
described in the preceding paragraph.
flyExclusive and its
directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be
participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders
of Jet.AI in connection with the Business Combination. A list of
the names of such directors and executive officers and information
regarding their interests in the Business Combination will be
included in the proxy statement/prospectus for the Business
Combination when available.
No
Solicitation or Offer
This communication is
for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to
purchase, nor a solicitation of an offer to sell, subscribe for or
buy any securities or the solicitation of any vote in any
jurisdiction pursuant to the Business Combination or otherwise, nor
shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any
jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of
securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting
the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, and otherwise in accordance with applicable law.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain statements
that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of the federal securities laws, including the safe harbor
provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995, including with respect to Business Combination and its
potential benefits. Statements that are not historical are
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or
our future performance or future financial condition. These
forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are
based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our
companies, our industry, our beliefs and our assumptions. These
forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words
“believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,”
“strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,”
“will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,”
and similar expressions or the negative of these terms or other
similar expressions, but the absence of these words does not mean
that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements
are predictions, projections and other statements about future
events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and,
as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties that could
cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected
results. As a result, caution must be exercised in relying on
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they
were made. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking
statements include the risk that the Business Combination might not
be completed in a timely manner or at all, which could adversely
affect the price of Jet.AI’s common stock or flyExclusive’s
securities; the failure to satisfy the conditions to the
consummation of the Business Combination, including required Jet.AI
financing, board and shareholder approvals; potential dilution to
Jet.AI shareholders from any financing; the occurrence of any
event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the
termination of the definitive agreement for the Business
Combination; the effect of the announcement or pendency of the
transaction on Jet.AI’s or flyExclusive’s business generally; risks
that the Business Combination disrupts current plans or operations
of Jet.AI or flyExclusive; the outcome of any legal proceedings
that may be instituted against Jet.AI or flyExclusive related to
the Business Combination; the ability to realize any of the
benefits anticipated in the Business Combination; risks relating to
agreements with third parties; the companies’ ability to raise
funding in the future, as needed, and the terms of such funding,
including potential dilution caused thereby; the companies’ ability
to maintain the listing of its securities on a national securities
exchange; and those risks that can be found in the companies’ most
recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings identify and
address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual events and results to differ materially from those contained
in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to put
undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Jet.AI assumes no
obligation and does not intend to update or revise these
forward-looking statements, whether because of new information,
future events, or otherwise, except as provided by law.
Contacts:Jet.AI Inc.Gateway
Group, Inc.949-574-3860Jet.AI@gateway-grp.com
flyExclusiveMedia: Jillian
Wilson, Marketing Specialistmedia@flyexclusive.comInvestor
Relations: Sloan Bohlen, Solebury Strategic
Communicationsinvestors@flyexclusive.com
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