Royal Air Charters

What Royal Air Charters does

Royal Air Charters is a private air charter operator headquartered in Lusaka, Zambia, founded in 2007. The company provides on-demand charter services using a fleet that includes an Embraer ERJ 145 (up to 50 seats) for larger group moves and a Cessna Grand Caravan (12 seats) for shorter routes. Its stated customer base spans private individuals, corporate clients, and conservation NGOs operating in Zambia.

The business model is direct and quote-based: pricing is not published and bookings are taken via phone, email, and the company website, with no third-party distribution or retail channel. Fleet operations are supported by SpiderTracks satellite flight tracking, providing real-time position reporting for safety and client transparency. The company highlights long-tenured partnerships with Zambian conservation organizations including Conservation South Luangwa, Painted Dog Conservation, Game Rangers International, the Zambian Carnivore Programme, and Elephant Charge, indicating a meaningful revenue stream from NGO logistics in addition to corporate and private charter work.

Royal Air Charters is led by CEO Joseph Whittall with general management led by Gavin Robinson, and the listed crew roster suggests a workforce in the 11-50 range. No funding rounds, acquisitions, geographic expansion beyond Zambia, or new product lines beyond fleet tracking are disclosed, consistent with a small, long-established operator focused on its core charter segment.

Name

Royal Air Charters

Legal name

Royal Air Charters

Website

https://royalaircharters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Royal Air Charters is a Lusaka-based private air charter operator founded in 2007, flying an Embraer ERJ 145 and Cessna Grand Caravan on quote-based charter work for private, corporate, and conservation NGO clients in Zambia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Aviation Charter Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & VIP Group Charter Operators (THABADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business Jet Charter (On-Demand) (THABAFAA)

Keywords

• Private air charters
• Corporate charter flights
• On-demand aviation
• Turbine aircraft fleet
• Zambia air travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Lusaka

HQ country

Zambia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Private Charter Flights: On-demand private air travel services for individuals and corporate clients. Customers pay per flight/charter based on destination, aircraft type, and duration. Provides private and corporate charters across Zambia and beyond.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Royal Air Charters provides on-demand private and corporate air charter services to destinations throughout Zambia and beyond. The company operates a modern fleet of turbine aircraft including the Embraer Brasilia 145 (ERJ 145) 50-seat regional jet and the Cessna Grand Caravan 12-seat turboprop, both maintained to first-class standards with high-level crew training. Customers book directly via phone, email, or website inquiry form, and benefit from SpiderTracks real-time flight tracking.

Product overview

Royal Air Charters operates as a private aviation company offering two distinct aircraft for charter services: the Embraer Brasilia 145 (ERJ 145), a 50-seat regional jet, and the Cessna Grand Caravan, a 12-seat turboprop aircraft. The company provides private and corporate on-demand charter flights to destinations throughout Zambia and beyond, with services including first-class maintenance, highest level crew training, and stress-free travel arrangements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Embraer Brasilia 145 (ERJ 145) Charter Service A 50-seat regional jet charter service operated with 2 pilots and 2 cabin crew, offering a range of 2,871km at speeds of 833km/h. Used for private and corporate charter flights across Zambia and beyond.
• Cessna Grand Caravan Charter Service A 12-seat single-engine turboprop charter service with a range of 1,667km at speeds of 280km/h, operated by 2 pilots. Used for private charter flights across Zambia and beyond.
• Private Charter Services On-demand private air travel services for individual travelers and groups, providing safe, punctual, and stress-free flights to destinations throughout Zambia and beyond on a modern turbine fleet.
• Corporate Charter Services Corporate charter flights for business clients, providing customized flight solutions for executive transport, group movements, and time-sensitive business travel across Zambia and beyond.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Conservation South LuangwacoreOthers · 1 October 2014Royal Air Charters supports Conservation South Luangwa's (CSL) wildlife conservation efforts in the South Luangwa National Park. In October 2014, they flew Zambia's first highly trained wildlife detection dogs from Lusaka to Mfuwe to fight wildlife trafficking. The dogs and handlers achieved over 40 arrests and confiscated ivory, firearms, leopard skins, and illegal bush meat. RAC also provided air transport for former Zambian captain Kalusha Bwalya and football players to attend CSL's annual conservation fun run and sports day.
• Elephant Charge ZambiacoreOthers · 1 January 2011Royal Air Charters has been an integral supporter of the Elephant Charge for multiple years, sponsoring course checkpoints including the 'gauntlet' checkpoint. For five consecutive years, they sponsored the Carnivores team (captained by General Manager Robert Stacey), which raised $30,682 for conservation through education across 17 conservation projects in Zambia. RAC also donated sunset Cessna Caravan flights for sponsors.
• Guild of Air Traffic Controllers of Zambia (GATCOZ)minorOthersRoyal Air Charters sponsors the Air Traffic Controller's Fundraising Ball and facilitates travel of members to the International Air Controllers' Conference in North Africa. This support reflects the company's commitment to industry safety and ensuring a level playing field for industry partners.
• Conservation Lower ZambezicoreOthersRoyal Air Charters facilitates air travel for CLZ management consultants and trainers and transports essential equipment between Lower Zambezi and Lusaka. They provide technical support with plane maintenance for CLZ's aircraft, which is vital to their wildlife protection program. RAC supports fundraising initiatives including the 'Change for Conservation' campaign and offers free flights in auctions.
• Women in Aviation Zambia ChapterminorOthersRoyal Air Charters recognizes the important role women play in aviation. They provided aircraft for the Women in Aviation conference luncheon officiated by the First Lady of Zambia Mrs. Esther Lungu, and ensured all female staff members attended. The ladies of RAC also participated in International Women's Day March coordinated by the Ministry of Gender and Child Development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Federal Air: South African charter operator running scheduled and on-demand passenger services, including safari and corporate routes. Directly comparable as an African on-demand charter operator serving corporate and tourism clients, though with a broader fleet and route network.
• Cinnamon Air: Sri Lanka-based on-demand seaplane and charter operator serving tourism and corporate clients with a small turbine fleet. Comparable to RAC as a small, regionally anchored on-demand private charter operator with a modern turbine fleet and similar GTM.
• National Airways Corporation (NAC): South Africa-based charter, aircraft management, and FBO services provider serving corporate and private clients across Africa. Comparable as a regional private-charter operator with similar customer types, although materially larger in fleet and geographic footprint than Royal Air Charters.
• Safarilink: Kenya-based on-demand charter and scheduled safari airline serving corporate and tourism clients across East Africa. Comparable as an African regional on-demand charter operator serving conservation/tourism and corporate customers with similar aircraft profiles.

Broad incumbents

• ExecuJet Aviation Group: Africa-anchored business aviation services group offering charter, management, and FBO services across the continent. A broader incumbent private-aviation player that overlaps with RAC's VIP/corporate charter niche but operates at a regional multi-base scale.
• Air Charter Service: Global charter broker arranging private, corporate, and group air charters worldwide. Competitively adjacent because brokers increasingly intermediate the on-demand charter demand that RAC targets, although ACS is a broker rather than an operator.
• NetJets: Global fractional-ownership and on-demand private aviation provider. Operates far larger scale than RAC but competes for the same corporate and high-net-worth on-demand charter demand in markets where multinational clients have a presence.
• Safair: Major South African operator running charter and scheduled services across Africa with a large multi-type fleet. Comparable on charter capability and African geographic reach but much larger and more diversified than Royal Air Charters.

Others

• Hahn Air: German-based regional carrier and charter operator with global ticketing and charter services. Indirectly comparable as a charter-service business model reference, though primarily a scheduled regional carrier rather than an on-demand African charter operator.

Regional players

• Proflight Zambia: Zambian domestic and regional airline based at Lusaka's KK International Airport. Directly competes for intra-Zambia and cross-border passenger traffic in the same home market as Royal Air Charters, though positioned as a scheduled carrier rather than on-demand charter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RoyalAirCharters
• Instagraminstagram.com/royalaircharters?igsh=MW9pbnBpOHFyaGZpdw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Xx.com/RoyalACharters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royalaircharters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Royal Air Charters