Chicago Jet Group

What Chicago Jet Group does

Chicago Jet Group is a privately held, vertically integrated private aviation services company founded in 2003 by Mike Mitera and headquartered at Aurora Municipal Airport (KARR) in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The company operates under FAA Part 135 charter certificate X42A211L, FAA Class 4 Part 145 repair station certificate X42R211L, and EASA CRS 145.6657, enabling it to deliver charter, aircraft management, line and heavy maintenance, avionics design and installation, aircraft acquisition consulting, and appraisal services from a single facility. It targets corporate aircraft owners, flight departments, and charter customers, with 24/7 AOG mobile support in the Chicago region. The company holds an Argus Gold safety rating and is an authorized dealer for at least 12 avionics OEMs including Universal Avionics, Honeywell/Bendix/King, Gogo, L3 Harris, and Avidyne.

The company's core technical capability is the design, certification, and installation of advanced avionics retrofit solutions for Part 25 business aircraft. It achieved the industry's first FANS 1/A+ CPDLC retrofit Supplemental Type Certificate on a Dassault Falcon 50 in 2013 and on a Falcon 900 in 2014, and has since expanded its STC portfolio to cover Boeing 767-200, Bombardier Challenger 600/601/604, Dassault Falcon 2000/2000EX/900/900EX/50/50EX, and Gulfstream G100 through GV airframes. Subsequent product programs include the Universal Avionics InSight Display System integration (Falcon 50 in 2017, Falcon 900 in 2018), the NextGen Pro-Link Proline 4 Dual Integrated FMS upgrade (2018), and ATN B1 Module AML STC certification (2018) for European Data Link Services mandate compliance. Charter operations are limited to premium mid-cabin (Falcon 50/50EX class) and large cabin (Falcon 900 class) jets with stated nonstop capabilities including transcontinental US, Chicago-London, New York-London/Paris, and Miami-São Paulo.

Revenue is generated across six service streams: per-flight charter transaction fees, recurring aircraft management fees, professional service fees for MRO and avionics work, transaction fees and consulting retainers for aircraft acquisition/sales, and appraisal fees. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based, with management services offered through customizable multi-year service bundles. Customer acquisition relies on direct sales via dedicated phone hotlines (866-JET-TRAVEL, 866-JET-REPAIR), a website with service inquiry forms, and industry trade show presence (NBAA-BACE, EBACE, EAA AirVenture, AEA International Convention). The company is founder-led by Mike Mitera as President and Director of Operations, with a stated headcount of 11-50 employees and no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional investors.

Name

Chicago Jet Group

Legal name

Chicago Jet Group LLC

Website

https://chicagojetgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago Jet Group is a boutique, FAA Part 135/145-certified private aviation services company providing charter, aircraft management, MRO, and avionics retrofits. It specializes in industry-first FANS/CPDLC and NextGen avionics STCs for business jets, serving corporate owners and operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Aviation Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413)

akta.pro primary industry

Aircraft Management & Part 135/135-equivalent Operators (THABAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Jet Charter (Midsize/Super-Midsize/Heavy Jet) (TLAFABAB), Business Jet Charter (On-Demand) (THABAFAA)

Keywords

• Private jet charter
• Aircraft management services
• Aviation MRO services
• Avionics retrofit installation
• Aircraft acquisition consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Sugar Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Private Jet Charter Services: CJG operates under FAA Part 135 Certificate X42A211L to provide private jet charter flights. Revenue is generated per flight, with pricing based on aircraft type, route, and duration. They offer premium mid-cabin and large cabin jets.
2. Aircraft Management Services: CJG provides turnkey customized aircraft management programs covering maintenance compliance, scheduling, dispatching, flight crew employment, expense and revenue tracking, crew recruiting, financial management, and insurance administration. Revenue includes management fees and charter revenue offset services.
3. Aircraft Maintenance (MRO) Services: Full-service FAA Class 4 Part 145 and EASA-certified maintenance including line maintenance, major inspections, airframe alterations, engine/APU work, composite repairs, NDT, paint, and interior modifications. Revenue is generated through service fees for maintenance work performed at their facility or via mobile AOG support.
4. Avionics Repair and Installation: CJG's Part 145 avionics department handles troubleshooting, repair, and complete cockpit upgrades/retrofits including WAAS/LPV installations, CPDLC/FANS installations, TCAS, SATCOM, cabin entertainment, and display upgrades. Revenue generated through parts and labor service fees.
5. Aircraft Acquisition, Sales, and Consulting: CJG assists buyers with worldwide aircraft searches, fair market analysis, demonstration flight arrangements, and pre-purchase evaluations. For sellers, they provide market value analysis, worldwide listing, and industry publication advertising. Revenue likely includes transaction fees and consulting retainers.
6. Aircraft Appraisals: CJG provides professional aircraft appraisals including on-site visits, documentation review, market analysis, and pricing determination for individuals and organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chicago Jet Group provides private jet charter, turnkey aircraft management, FAA Part 145 aircraft maintenance and avionics repair/installation (including FANS 1/A+, ATN B1, and Universal Avionics InSight STC retrofits), and aircraft acquisition, sales, and consulting services. The company also performs pre-purchase evaluations and aircraft appraisals, serving corporate aircraft owners, operators, and charter customers from its FAA/EASA-certified facility at Aurora Municipal Airport.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NextGen Pro•Link™: First complete Proline 4 Dual Integrated FMS upgrade for legacy integrated navigation systems, providing data link solutions for NextGen requirements.

Products and services

• Private Jet Charter Services On-demand private jet charter under FAA Part 135 Certificate X42A211L, offering premium mid-cabin jets (e.g., Falcon 50/50EX) for up to 9 passengers and large-cabin jets (e.g., Falcon 900/900EX, Challenger 601-650, Gulfstream III/IV/IVSP) for up to 14 passengers on transcontinental, regional, and ultra-long-range international routes. Operated 24/7 with worldwide approval.
• Aircraft Management Services Turnkey aircraft management programs for corporate and private aircraft owners covering maintenance compliance, scheduling, dispatching, flight crew employment, expense and revenue tracking, crew recruiting, financial management, insurance administration, and the option to place the owner's aircraft on CJG's Part 135 certificate to generate charter revenue.
• Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) Full-service FAA Class 4 Part 145 (X42R211L) and EASA-certified (CRS 145.6657) aircraft maintenance for business jets, including line maintenance, major inspections, airframe alterations, engine and APU work, composite repairs, NDT, paint, and interior modifications, with 24/7 mobile AOG emergency support in the Chicago region.
• Aircraft Avionics Repair and Installation Part 145 avionics department providing troubleshooting, repair, and installation services for WAAS/LPV, CPDLC/FANS, TCAS, SATCOM, cabin entertainment, and display upgrades, performed by factory-trained technicians on a wide range of business aircraft.
• NextGen Pro-Link Dual Integrated FMS Upgrade Proprietary NextGen Pro-Link dual integrated flight management system upgrade that provides a complete retrofit path for legacy Proline 4 navigation systems, meeting global NextGen and FANS data link compliance requirements.
• Falcon 50 and Falcon 900 InSight Display System Upgrade STC-based flight deck upgrade that integrates the Universal Avionics InSight Display System with 4 EFI-1040 displays, embedded synthetic vision, advanced mapping, electronic charts, frequency management, and broadcast weather on Dassault Falcon 50 and Falcon 900 aircraft.
• Aircraft Acquisition, Sales & Consulting End-to-end aircraft brokerage and consulting for buyers and sellers, including worldwide aircraft search, fair-market-value analysis, demonstration flight arrangements, pre-purchase evaluations, market value analysis, and worldwide listing and industry publication advertising.
• Aircraft Appraisals Professional aircraft appraisal service including on-site visits, documentation review, market analysis, and pricing determination for individuals and organizations.
• Pre-Purchase Evaluation Services Pre-purchase aircraft evaluations and inspections performed by in-house maintenance experts to support buyers in assessing airframe, engine, and avionics condition prior to acquisition.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• International Communications Group (ICG)coreTechnology or Integration · 14 February 2012CJG partnered with ICG to integrate the NxtLink ICS-220A Iridium Satcom (and ICS-120A) into their FANS/CPDLC STC solutions, providing Iridium AOC and ATC data link messaging and communications for retrofitted aircraft. ICG's Sora ig+ package combines Iridium voice/data with Cobham's Inmarsat Swift Broadband antenna.
• Universal AvionicscoreTechnology or IntegrationCJG is an Authorized Dealer of Universal Avionics Systems Corporation, specializing in the installation and certification of UA's product lines including UniLink UL-800/801 Communications Management Unit, InSight Display System (EFI-1040), SBAS-Flight Management Systems (UNS-1Fw/UNS-1Lw), CVR-120A Cockpit Voice Recorder, and MFD-640 Multi-Function Display. CJG holds multiple FAA/EASA STCs using UA components for FANS 1/A+ and ATN B1 CPDLC retrofits on business aircraft.
• Kobev International Inc.majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKobev International Inc. is an affiliate of Chicago Jet Group providing FANS pilot training and end-to-end operational performance testing, completing CJG's turn-key FANS/CPDLC suite of services. Training is referenced on the CPDLC page as the designated training provider for FANS and ATN.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Gulfstream Aerospace (Service Centers): OEM-owned service network supporting Gulfstream G-series operators — directly addresses the same fleet (Falcon/Challenger/Gulfstream) targeted by Chicago Jet Group's STC and avionics retrofit work, with stronger factory-backed pricing and warranty integration.
• Jet Aviation: Basel-headquartered global business aviation services company offering charter (Part 135), aircraft management, MRO, and avionics across multiple regions — a broader incumbent competing with Chicago Jet Group across every service line but at materially larger scale.
• Bombardier (Service & Support): OEM service network supporting Learjet, Challenger, and Global operators — overlaps with Chicago Jet Group's Challenger and Falcon service offerings and competes for the same managed-aircraft and MRO wallets.
• StandardAero: Scottsdale-headquartered MRO specialist serving business aviation, helicopter, and industrial customers with engine and avionics services — broader portfolio overlap with Chicago Jet Group's airframe/engine/APU maintenance and avionics installation lines.
• Textron Aviation: Beechcraft and Cessna OEM operating its own service centers — competes for Citation, King Air, and Hawker MRO/avionics work that also sits within Chicago Jet Group's addressable fleet.

Others

• Universal Avionics: Tucson-based avionics OEM and CJG's primary technology partner — supplies the UniLink, InSight, and SBAS-FMS products that anchor Chicago Jet Group's FANS/ATN B1/InSight/Pro-Link STCs, and is itself an enabler/competitor for retrofit cert work.
• FlightSafety International: Pilot and maintenance training provider serving business aviation; comparable in regulatory depth and adjacent to the CJG/Kobev turnkey FANS pilot training bundle, though not a direct MRO or charter competitor.
• Avidyne Corporation: Avionics manufacturer whose products CJG installs as an authorized dealer — comparable ecosystem position to Universal Avionics and a potential channel partner/competitor for retrofit avionics attachments on the same airframes.

Direct peers

• Constant Aviation: Cleveland-based MRO and avionics specialist focused on business jets, with extensive NextGen avionics retrofit and STC capabilities — overlapping Chicago Jet Group's avionics installation, repair, and STC-based upgrade positioning.
• Duncan Aviation: Lincoln, Nebraska-based business aviation MRO and avionics retrofit provider operating at similar boutique-to-mid scale with multiple STCs on Falcon, Gulfstream, Challenger, Citation, and Hawker airframes — directly comparable to Chicago Jet Group's FANS/ATN B1 retrofit franchise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cjgjet
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-jet-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Jet Group