Black Merlin
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: In The Ether
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Black Merlin
https://www.blackmerlin.com
Assume the incarnation of Xclusivejet whom left creditors owed all over the place?
Assume the incarnation of Xclusivejet whom left creditors owed all over the place?
Companies House data shows that a new company, Black Merlin Limited, was registered in January 2020. The CEO is Shane Carruthers
Shane Carruthers was also a director of XJC Limited which went into administration in December 2019.
The Administrators published a progress report in June 2020:
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/c...6a2N4/document
The report showed that the total amount realised from sale of assets, after administration costs, was around £125K. Section 9.5 shows 255 creditors were owed approximately £4.5m, so the creditors will receive very little, if anything..
Shane Carruthers was also a director of XJC Limited which went into administration in December 2019.
The Administrators published a progress report in June 2020:
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/c...6a2N4/document
The report showed that the total amount realised from sale of assets, after administration costs, was around £125K. Section 9.5 shows 255 creditors were owed approximately £4.5m, so the creditors will receive very little, if anything..
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I see they are using Air Charter Service AOC (Voluxis) for their Falcon. I have seen some (well two) very interesting emails from Voluxis to aircraft owners offering loads of charter if they move to them as they are owned by ACS. In short ACS are going to operators for quotes, then seeing if they can put on one of their own aircraft slightly cheaper. It looks like ACS are using the market to check the prices then using their own fleet when possible. I am surprised operators are letting them do this. I have also heard that if brokers put clients on Voluxis they are very proactive in making sure the client is fully aware of ACS by the end of the flight! I am sure brokers are aware of this and are staying well away from Voluxis which will impact the owners getting charter. It reminds me of Air Partner and Gold Air and the success that ended up being.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Personally I am not sure there is no cross over..........
Below is a line from an email Voluxis sent to an aircraft owner who is with another management company.
"I believe that Voluxis and the other Mountfitchet Group companies (ACS - the world largest brokerage, and Interflight Aircraft Maintenance) can offer an unrivalled level of resource to aircraft owners"
I would interpret the above as ACS will use your aircraft for charter flights as much as possible. I cannot believe if ACS get a request for a flight and another broker goes to Voluxis for the same request that is not flagged up on the basis they are telling owners they will have "an unrivalled level of resource" I can't imagine management would be pleased if they lost out on two bites of the cherry with another broker booking their aircraft when they were quoting the same flight!!
Here is my hypothetical scenario, ACS get a flight request, check with Voluxis what is available, Voluxis say 2 other brokers looking at this one. ACS then go out to market check pricing with other operators, go back to Voluxis saying we need to do at this price and will get flight (and might ask what the other brokers were quoted which I am sure will be the same as ACS get it for!!!). Commission for ACS, revenue and profit for Voluxis. The question is are they discounting their quoted average rate to owners to get the business.
Below is a line from an email Voluxis sent to an aircraft owner who is with another management company.
"I believe that Voluxis and the other Mountfitchet Group companies (ACS - the world largest brokerage, and Interflight Aircraft Maintenance) can offer an unrivalled level of resource to aircraft owners"
I would interpret the above as ACS will use your aircraft for charter flights as much as possible. I cannot believe if ACS get a request for a flight and another broker goes to Voluxis for the same request that is not flagged up on the basis they are telling owners they will have "an unrivalled level of resource" I can't imagine management would be pleased if they lost out on two bites of the cherry with another broker booking their aircraft when they were quoting the same flight!!
Here is my hypothetical scenario, ACS get a flight request, check with Voluxis what is available, Voluxis say 2 other brokers looking at this one. ACS then go out to market check pricing with other operators, go back to Voluxis saying we need to do at this price and will get flight (and might ask what the other brokers were quoted which I am sure will be the same as ACS get it for!!!). Commission for ACS, revenue and profit for Voluxis. The question is are they discounting their quoted average rate to owners to get the business.
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: in the wild blue yonder
Posts: 131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Companies House data shows that a new company, Black Merlin Limited, was registered in January 2020. The CEO is Shane Carruthers
Shane Carruthers was also a director of XJC Limited which went into administration in December 2019.
The Administrators published a progress report in June 2020:
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/c...6a2N4/document
The report showed that the total amount realised from sale of assets, after administration costs, was around £125K. Section 9.5 shows 255 creditors were owed approximately £4.5m, so the creditors will receive very little, if anything..
Shane Carruthers was also a director of XJC Limited which went into administration in December 2019.
The Administrators published a progress report in June 2020:
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/c...6a2N4/document
The report showed that the total amount realised from sale of assets, after administration costs, was around £125K. Section 9.5 shows 255 creditors were owed approximately £4.5m, so the creditors will receive very little, if anything..
This is a massive weakness of the legal system and does not protect consumers from unscrupulous or criminal entities.
Before any director of a company going into such liquidation with debts over a very limited threshold is allowed to act as a director of another entity, there should be some form of independent review, vetting that said director is not a liability or worse.
Our industry is regularly blighted by this phenomenon, and I hope this is not another example building before our eyes.
