Air Charter Scotland Limited is a British private charter and regional airline headquartered in East Kilbride, Scotland. Established in 2003, the company traditionally specialised in business jet management and global executive charter services. In January 2026, it expanded into scheduled domestic commercial operations after being awarded a Public Service Obligation (PSO) contract by The Highland Council.
History
Air Charter Scotland was acquired by George McFarlane in 2003. Over two decades, it evolved from a small operator of piston-twin aircraft into a global executive charter firm managing a fleet of long-range heavy jets. In 2020, the company launched a Maltese subsidiary, Air Charter Scotland Europe (ICAO: SCO), to facilitate continued access to the European market following Brexit.
Following the collapse of Eastern Airways in October 2025, the vital "lifeline" air link between Wick and Aberdeen was suspended. In December 2025, Air Charter Scotland was selected as the new operator for the Public Service Obligation (PSO) route.In brief Airliner World March 2026 page 7
Scheduled operations commenced on 14 January 2026. Due to initial regulatory requirements, the service began using a Beechcraft King Air 200 operated by DragonFly Executive Air Charter, with plans to transition to an 18-seat Jetstream 32 wet-leased from AIS Airlines by March 2026. The airline has stated its intention to add the Jetstream type to its own AOC to fully integrate the scheduled regional division.
Services The airline operates in three distinct sectors: Executive charter: Ad-hoc private jet travel for corporate and VIP clients. Aircraft management: Turnkey management solutions for private aircraft owners. Scheduled regional: A daily PSO service connecting Wick, Caithness to Scotland's regional hubs in Aberdeen & GlasgowSupport for Wick Air ServicesTransport Scotland
Fleet As of January 2026, Air Charter Scotland's fleet includes a mix of executive jets and regional turboprops:
AircraftIn serviceOrdersNotesEmbraer Legacy 5001—Embraer Legacy 6501—Bombardier Challenger 3502—Operated by Maltese subsidiary Air Charter Scotland EuropeCessna Citation CJ41—Cessna Citation Latitude1—Cessna Citation Excel2—Operated by Maltese subsidiary Air Charter Scotland EuropeJetstream 321—Operated by AIS AirlinesTotal9—
References
External links