Following the sale of Buenos Aires, Argentina-based Hangar Uno to GCDC Group, a business with operations across many Latin American countries, CEO Matías Cassano has shared how plans for the operator, sales and aircraft maintenance company are taking shape.

“The decision to invest has to do with the essence of GCDC Group, a group that is focused on growth, and also with the potential that we see in Hangar Uno at this present time,” he says. “We have established objectives for where we want to take the company in the short and in the long term.

“Since the acquisition of the brand we have focused on the leadership of every team, like sales and aftersales teams, and the flight school. We have been working on training, and giving them tools, so that every area can be independent and can achieve 100 per cent efficiency. And we are incorporating other business units, such as charter, executive and medical flights, utilising exclusive aircraft that are already available.”

The sale of the business marked an exciting new chapter in Hangar Uno’s 30-year history. The new owners bring solid [automobile] experience in the region that should boost growth. Cassano has said he believes that when there are cars that cost three times as much as an aircraft, so there must be a huge potential general aviation market to grow into; high-end car owners could be tomorrow’s buyers of small aircraft. Under the direction of GCDC, Hangar Uno will continue to work closely with suppliers to provide customers with best value.

The long term objective for the company is to accumulate a wide range of products and services, and as well as developing aircraft sales and aftersales, Cassano is determined to generate an extensive portfolio of customers for a growing fleet of medical and charter aircraft. Tourist tours, private flights and medical flights are currently being brought under the group umbrella, and the next thing will be to boost growth and incorporate new aircraft and helicopter brands throughout Latin America. Cassano has said that the company intends to buy Piper Archers for the training school, plus a Robinson 44 and 66 that will be used in the school and for charter, with a Beechcraft 200 and Citation Ultra for medical flights.

Hangar Uno is an aircraft and helicopter sales company with more than 30 years of experience and over 300 aircraft sold. It is the official agent of Honda Aircraft Company, Robinson Helicopter Company and Piper Aircraft for Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. With headquarters at the San Fernando International airport, the company offers official technical and FBO services from its 15,000 m2 hangar. It also has safety and quality ISO 9001:2015 certifications. The Hangar Uno training centre offers all levels of training; the school is approved by ANAC and its instructors have more than 6,000 flight hours under their belts.

GCDC has more than 25 showrooms and 700 employees representing Mercedes-Benz, Jeep, Ram, Volkswagen, Dodge, Chysler, MV Agusta, Ducati, Benelli and Suzuki brands.