The adventure began in 2004 when Charles Clair was a young volunteer instructor working for the Boulogne Billancourt Aero-Club at the Saint-Cyr l’Ecole airfield.

He decided to leave this association to become a business manager and launch his private pilot school, with the goal to create a “high-end” segment, specific to a demanding clientele. The initial concept of this school was based on 3 fundamentals:

– modern planes (the fleet of French tourist planes was over 35 years old at the time),

– professional instructors dedicated to customer training,

– a real “Service” tailored to the training goal.

Charles Clair then decides to name his pilot school “AIR ET COMPAGNIE” in homage to Christian Zimmer. In fact, in 1996, Christian Zimmer had created a small aerial work company dedicated to the activity of radio relay by plane for international cycling courses called “AIR ET COMPAGNIE”. This company aimed to provide a first professional experience to young pilots leaving professional training. Charles Clair was the last pilot hired by Christian Zimmer just before his death in 2003.

To launch his activity, Charles Clair invested an initial capital of only € 2,000 and set up shop at Toussus le Noble airport in the Paris region by renting 2 offices of 9 sqm.

Unable to finance new generation aircraft from its own funds to bring the initial concept to life, AIR ET COMPAGNIE then offered its recently patented customers the opportunity to purchase a new aircraft. 

In order to amortize the cost of this purchase, AIR ET COMPAGNIE offers each owner a turnkey management of his aircraft against its rental for the benefit of the flight school.

AIR ET COMPAGNIE thus draws up a “Win / Win” contract. This is the birth of the first key to the brand’s success: the “Management / Operations” model.

AIR ET COMPAGNIE, occupying the biggest part of the building it was renting, decided to purchase it. This 400 sqm office building on 2 levels, adjoining a 1500 sqm hangar, can then accommodate around twenty aircraft. A first step in real estate investment.

In 2010, the emergence of a new range of jet aircraft called Very Light Jet (VLJ), becomes a real technological breakthrough that will redefine the contours of the private jet transportation business.

Now passionate about entrepreneurship and with an experience acquired as a pilot in business aviation since 2005, first on Beechcraft 200 then on Dassault Falcon 50/900, Charles Clair then plans to take a new turn at his group by developing his own airline.

This is the birth of ASTONJET, initially in exclusive partnership with the company DARTA, in which Charles Clair still flew as Captain. At the same time, AIR ET COMPAGNIE obtains an approval to extend its skills to the training of professional pilots on planes and helicopters.

In order to optimize the operational use of its fleet of light aircraft, AIR ET COMPAGNIE is developing a new maintenance and airworthiness monitoring activity called AIR ET COMPAGNIE MAINTENANCE. Initially dedicated to the maintenance of its own aircraft, the workshop is also open to external customers.

Faced with the development of his companies, Charles Clair decided to quit his job as Captain with DARTA to fully devote himself to his new entrepreneurial activities.

The group is restructuring with the creation of a dedicated subsidiary for each activity, owned by a new management and support company: this is the birth of CLAIR GROUP, the parent company.

CLAIR GROUP is preparing for its international development and decides to refocus its activity on the airplane side by selling the company AIR ET COMPAGNIE HELICOPTERE to its partner Didier Gaudon, which will become PARIS HELICOPTERE.

Like ASTONJET and in order to create a brand unit, CLAIR GROUP changes the corporate name of its other subsidiaries with the prefix “ASTON”, a contraction of the Anglo-Saxon term “Astonish” meaning “to surprise”:

– AIR ET COMPAGNIE AVION becomes ASTONFLY: airplane pilot school,

– AIR ET COMPAGNIE MAINTENANCE becomes ASTONTEC: aircraft maintenance center,

– AIR ET COMPAGNIE SERVICES becomes ASTONSKY: airport services and assistance.

CLAIR GROUP acquires one of the 7 airport terminals at Paris – Le Bourget airport. This real estate investment consists of an office building of X sqm over 6 floors, 3 aircraft hangars of X sqm and a 16,000 sqm aircraft parking.

Faced with the pandemic which is disrupting the global economy and the aeronautics sector, CLAIR GROUP is demonstrating its agility by developing a cargo transport activity dedicated to the airlift between China and France. Several Boeing 747 Cargo aircraft are thus chartered by the company ASTONJET to allow the import of medical equipment.

Despite this particular context, CLAIR GROUP is ranked the French growth leader in the aeronautics, naval and space sector, by Les Echos and the Financial Times newspapers and Statista. It has achieved a record of +257.4% turnover increase over 4 years, thanks to its  subsidiaries ASTONFLY, ASTONJET, ASTONSKY and ASTONTEC.