Private charter provider Wheels Up announced on Thursday that George Mattson is taking over as the company’s new CEO. Mattson succeeds company founder Kenny Dichter, who stepped down from the role last May following reports that Wheels Up posted losses of $555 million in 2022. As previously reported by AVweb, Delta Air Lines agreed to provide $500 million in funding and assumed 95 percent ownership of Wheels Up last month.
“In 10 years, Wheels Up has grown from a startup into a global leader in private aviation, with a strong consumer brand and loyal member community,” said Mattson. “I look forward to leading the Wheels Up team, with the operational, commercial, strategic and financial support of Delta and our other new investors.”
A member of Delta’s board of directors, Mattson has previously held positions as a partner and co-head of the Global Industrials Group in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs & Co. and lead investor and chairman of Tropic Ocean Airways. Wheels Up noted that he will be based in Atlanta, where the company recently opened its new Member Operations Center. Mattson is expected to officially step into the CEO position in early October.
