David Deitch ‘feels at home’ in new role at Jet Access

Having just had time to get to his feet under the desk as Jet Access’ new executive vice president of sales, David Deitch is feeling the “strength of spirit” in his new role.

Moving to a family-owned business is a sea change for Deitch, having grown up in Indiana. Prior to joining Jet Access, he spent 23 years with Jet Aviation, where he helped to expand the managed fleet by more than 300 aircraft. 

“In the family-owned business, you have to have the right tools, the right leadership, the right core values and strong structure,” said Deitch. “Jet Access has attracted some very highly talented people and it made me excited to join that type of company.”

Deitch said he plans to continue developing the values – integrity, honesty, transparency – he’s carried throughout his career at Jet Access, as well as aligning the “client’s needs with their expectations”.

“I will also be working with OEMs, aircraft brokers and consultants to ensure they understand the true value that Jet Access brings to the table,” he added.

First priorities

Getting the word out to the industry that he has made the move to Jet Access is a key initial priority for Deitch.

“I’m an IADA [International Aircraft Dealers Association] board member. So, we sent out a press release to alert the entire IADA membership that I’ve joined Jet Access,” he explained.

Next on the list is having conversations with key industry stakeholders. “We need to let them know how we can assist and support their new client opportunities for aircraft management. That is fundamental to the growth of Jet Access,” he said.

Deitch also plans to build a support team for the aircraft management business. Part of this will see Jet Access hire four regionally based aircraft management vice presidents to support the operation. The company will target US hotspot regions such as New York, Florida, the Midwest and Texas.

Deitch also plans to build a support team for the aircraft management business. Part of this will see Jet Access hire four regionally based aircraft management vice presidents to support the operation. The company will target US hotspot regions such as New York, Florida and the Midwest, with particular emphasis on Indiana, Texas and Tennessee, with a focus on the Nashville market.

Where is the demand?

Jet Access currently has 38 aircraft under management, mostly made up of midsize and light aircraft, such as Citation X’s and Challenger 604s. “We want to grow into the super-mid market, Challenger 300s, CH350s and 3500s, Falcon, Gulfstream and Embraer and also into larger-cabin aircraft,” said Deitch.

As part of the planned hiring of regional vice presidents, Jet Access has identified several US hotspot markets for its aircraft management business, noted Deitch. “The New York area, including New Jersey and Connecticut, is a flourishing aircraft ownership region,” he said. “The Florida market, spanning West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Opa-locka, is also extremely active. We’re also focused on key Midwest markets, with a strong emphasis on Indiana, as well as Texas and Tennessee.”

“Texas, between Houston and Dallas, is seeing a lot of activity in aircraft ownership,” he continued. “When you look at the Midwest, particularly Chicago, those are areas for us to grow into as well. It’s pretty nationwide in a sense.”

Who is the demand?

Deitch is continuing to see plenty of new owners emerge from the fractional market, a trend he has recognised for the best part of a decade, if not longer.

“The key is to capture a lot of the fractional folks and large charter clients, and suggest that maybe it’s time to look at the value of owning an aircraft,” he said. “That has been a huge thrust in the marketplace for many years.”

The pandemic also had a big impact on ownership, according to Deitch. “A lot of clients came out of the airlines also, came into aircraft ownership or maybe into charter or maybe into a card programme, fractional programmes,” he said. “So the activity post-Covid has been significantly strong in all markets as well.”

Finally, Deitch said corporations look at chartering and fractional programs for their aircraft because of the value it can bring to the company. “When you look at the Fortune 500 companies, close to 99% of them are utilising some scope of transportation, either in a fractional charter or aircraft ownership,” said Deitch.

Biggest challenges today

Aircraft managers almost always have headaches. Some are universal, while others are region-specific. Deitch said the biggest issue he is hearing about today is the delivery of new aircraft. Speaking with a sales vice president at a large OEM earlier this week, he was told that deliveries of new specific  aircraft ordered today have been pushed out to 2029 across almost every model line.

“So, if you have a client coming out of a program who wants to buy a brand-new airplane. Unfortunately, the delivery schedule is three years out,” he said.

Speaking to the knock-on effect these backlogs have on the active fleet, Deitch believes most OEMs are committed to delivering quality back-end support for aircraft regarding parts and engineering. However, he pointed to the capabilities of large MRO facilities in picking up the additional support  while they can focus also quality workmanship.

Digitalisation bringing big changes

An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate in Marketing and Aeronautical Studies, Deitch began flying aircraft in the 1980s, when cockpits were filled with round dials. “Today, everything is a computer tube, often mandated in many newer-generation airplanes,” he said.

It is hard to get away from referencing artificial intelligence (AI) when discussing digitalisation, and Deitch admitted it is “forthcoming” and “it’s going to be great to watch and see what happens in the marketplace” because of the leap in computational capability.

But, besides AI, he mentioned Wi-Fi as a critical feature of a changing industry. “We’ve seen so many new developed products and services for Wi-Fi. And these airplanes, they’re tools. They communicate from 45,000ft all the way down to the ground,” he said. “It’s just amazing what Wi-Fi has entrenched into this business. Technology, as a whole, is really core in this industry today.”