STA Jets Agrees to Acquire Colorado-Based International Jet
Why It MattersThe deal shows how regional charter and management operators with long-held airport positions become acquisition targets for networks that want geographic reach without building a base from scratch.
What happened
STA Jets announced on Oct. 15, 2026 a definitive agreement to acquire International Jet, a private aviation company based in Centennial, Colorado, that has served clients since 1979. STA Jets is based in Orange County, California. The deal adds a Rocky Mountain presence to its network and extends its geographic reach, fleet capacity and service offerings.
International Jet offers charter, aircraft management and aircraft sales. It was founded in 1979 in Long Beach, California, and relocated to Denver the following year. In 1980 it became the first charter Learjet operator at Centennial Airport, where it is now the longest-tenured company. It has grown from cargo and specialty flying into a full-service passenger charter operator and has flown more than 10,000 medical transports over a 25-year period.
Its fleet spans turboprops and light, midsize, super-midsize and large-cabin jets. It operates a private passenger terminal at Centennial Airport with flight coordinators on duty around the clock, operates under FAA Part 135 standards, and its maintenance program has earned the industry's Diamond Award of Excellence.
STA Jets founder Kurt Belcher said the company is committed to preserving what makes International Jet exceptional while adding the scale, resources and reach of the STA network. STA Jets offers executive charter, aircraft management, and aircraft sales and acquisitions.
Industry impact & what to watch
Acquisitions of this kind reflect how the charter and management segment consolidates. An operator that holds a Part 135 certificate, a maintenance program with an industry award and a long-established terminal at a busy general aviation airport has assets that are slow to replicate. A buyer with a coastal base gains a foothold in a different region, and the seller gains access to a larger network's resources.
Both companies sell the same three lines of business: charter, aircraft management and aircraft sales. That overlap means integration questions centre on how fleets, managed-aircraft owners and sales activity are combined under one network rather than on entering new service categories. For owners with aircraft under management and for charter customers, the practical test is whether the Centennial operation keeps the service continuity Belcher described as the goal.
The next milestones are the closing of the transaction and any announcement of how the International Jet name, terminal and certificate will be handled inside the STA network.
