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Waltzing Matilda Aviation LLC
Waltzing Matilda Aviation is a family-owned private jet charter operator founded in 2008 by former airline CEO John Thomas, based in Bedford, MA.
Waltzing Matilda Aviation LLC
John Thomas founded Waltzing Matilda Aviation in June 2008, initially as a private operation before earning its FAA Part 135 jet charter license in April 2015 (per the firm, 2015). The company is named after Thomas's Australian Shepherd, Tillie, whose full name was Waltzing Matilda. Thomas previously served as CEO and Accountable Executive of a $5B international airline with 125 aircraft and 6,000 employees, and today chairs the Health and Safety Committee on Icelandair's board. The firm provides charter flights, aircraft management, and fleet scheduling services. Its fleet includes Citation Excel midsize jets and Challenger 300/604 super midsize jets. Operations are conducted under FAA FAR Part 135 Certificate No. 6WZA614N, with 24/7 support and a focus on safety compliance. The company serves clients primarily in North America, with access to over 5,000 airports commercial airlines cannot reach. Thomas leads a team that includes pilot hires — the firm actively recruits pilots as of 2025. The company is based at Signature Flight Support FBO at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, 20 minutes from downtown Boston. No additional offices are disclosed. There are no publicly listed philanthropic foundations or operating-company subsidiaries separate from the aviation charter business. A structural differentiator is Waltzing Matilda's origin as a family-owned passion project that later formalized into a regulated charter operator — bridging the gap between private aircraft ownership and commercial Part 135 operations. This hybrid model allows the firm to offer owner-level asset management alongside for-hire charter services under one entity.
General information
Firm type
Family Office
Year founded
2008
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Bedford
Corporate office
180 Hanscom Drive, Bedford, MA 01730, United States
Principals
John Thomas
CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Waltzing Matilda Aviation?
CEO John Thomas runs the company. He previously served as CEO and Accountable Executive of a $5B international airline and chairs the Health and Safety Committee on Icelandair's board (per the firm, 2025).
Is Waltzing Matilda structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a charter operator?
Waltzing Matilda Aviation is an operating company — an FAA Part 135 certified charter operator and aircraft management firm, not a traditional investment office. It manages physical aircraft assets for owners and provides charter services to clients.
What investment stages does Waltzing Matilda typically target?
Waltzing Matilda does not target investment stages — it is a private aviation services operator. Its business includes charter flights, aircraft management, and fleet scheduling, all focused on aircraft operations rather than external capital deployment.
Which sectors does Waltzing Matilda explicitly avoid?
The firm is a pure-play aviation services company. It does not invest in real estate, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, or any asset class outside of its aircraft fleet and related aviation infrastructure.
How is Waltzing Matilda related to Icelandair?
CEO John Thomas serves on Icelandair's board and chairs its Health and Safety Committee. This is a board role, not an ownership or structural affiliation — Waltzing Matilda Aviation is an independent US entity (per the firm, 2025).
Does Waltzing Matilda maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
No philanthropic structures are publicly disclosed. WMA's website focuses entirely on aviation operations — charter services, aircraft management, and pilot hiring — with no mention of a foundation or charitable arm.
Where does the underlying wealth of Waltzing Matilda come from?
The source of the founding family's wealth is not publicly disclosed. The firm presents itself as a family-owned business, but the origin of the capital that established the company is not stated on its website or in available public records.
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