The Air League of Monaco met again at the Stelios Foundation Conference Hall in Monaco with another fascinating key speaker at the centre of attention. Taking to the podium on the evening of Monday, September 19, was Air Charter Service founder Chris Leach.

As the son of a pilot, Leach had aviation in his blood and became a pilot himself with Saturn Airways in 1970, before establishing his now worldwide Air Charter Service company in the basement of his home in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1990.

With decades of real aviation experience under his belt, Leach realised that personal service is what makes a difference, that customers want to be treated well and they want to trust who they’re dealing with, something that many companies were neglecting. Armed with valuable insider knowledge of the industry, Leach launched ACS, and soon outgrew his basement office, having to move his headquarters above into a small office above a local shop.

After three further office moves, and now with over 500 staff worldwide, ACS is a truly global company. Discover the inspiring story below.

Decades after its beginning in a London basement, ACS has a network of offices spanning the world, arranging 23,000 charter flights every year.

A story in Aviation to look up to, and one that might resonate with the Air League of Monaco President, Sir Stelios, who founded easyJet in 1995. The Air League of Monaco was formed in November 2013 as a charity of the Principality, together with Christopher Foyle, with HSH Prince Albert being the principle patron. The Air League is dedicated to keeping Monaco and its surrounding area at the forefront of aviation, while also making the thrilling world of aviation possible for young enthusiasts and budding pilots with scholarships and support.

The monthly Air League meeting will return on October 10, with guest speaker Nikhil Sachdeva.

Discover more about the Air League of Monaco here.

Featured image by Jack Brodie