HMC Group spreads its wings as it expands across Western Australia

HMC Group is flying high – in more ways than one.

In November 2022, the Australian Business Growth Fund first invested $15 million in HMC Group, an aviation and tourism company supporting communities across regional Western Australia.

Now, HMC Group is scaling up. It launched a brand new airline in July to further improve connectivity in the region.

And with HMC Group securing a further $15 million follow on investment from ABGF, its growth is set to continue.

Connecting communities across Western Australia

It’s been a few short months since the Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF) first invested in HMC Group – the parent company behind several aviation and tourism brands operating in regional Western Australia.

With a vision of connecting regional communities across Western Australia, HMC Group already encompasses aviation businesses Aviair, HeliSpirit and the Australian Helicopter Academy.

It also includes accommodation and tourism experiences – Freshwater East Kimberley Apartments, Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge, Bungle Bungle Guided Tours and Kimberley Experiences and the PumpHouse Restaurant.

Now, with ABGF’s support, HMC Group has launched a new airline to open the Kimberly and Pilbara regions to workers, tourists and other parts of the community.

Introducing Nexus Airlines

On 10 July, Nexus Airlines’ first flights took off, linking Geraldton to Karratha, Port Hedland and Broome. A week later, Nexus Airlines launched their Geraldton to Perth flights. On 28 July, Nexus Airlines launched their Northern Route from Broome to Kununurra then onto Darwin, providing a regional airline connecting most of the major WA regional ports between Perth and Darwin.

“It’s exciting and rewarding to see our vision for Nexus Airlines come to fruition. Reliable, regular and affordable air connectivity is critical to support the prosperity of regional WA. With our bases in Geraldton and Broome, it’s deeply fulfilling to provide a local service that also provides local jobs,” said co-founder and Managing Director of HMC Group, Michael McConachy.

Ghazaleh Lyari, ABGF Co-Head of Investments, joined the team as a board member of HMC Group in November 2022.

“Michael’s passion for this unique part of Australia is infectious,” she said. “HMC Group is committed to connecting communities across a very remote area in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Nexus Airlines’ services help make the Kimberley and Pilbara more accessible, and in doing so, support the region’s prosperity. We’re so pleased that ABGF could help to support HMC Group in bringing Nexus Airlines to the WA regional communities,” she added.

Speedy, sustainable growth

As HMC Group continues to grow, its ongoing partnership with ABGF has been assisting it to scale up rapidly.

Back in 2014, the company commenced operations with a team of two people. Now, HMC Group employs over 350 staff.

“As we grow, we have needed to evolve our leadership roles and structures to oversee a company of this scale and size – without compromising on our culture and team values,” said Michael.

“Through its extensive business experience, ABGF has been an enormous support in helping us set ourselves up to ensure our growth is sustainable.”

Ongoing investment

Since the initial $15 million investment in November 2022, ABGF has recently committed an additional follow-on investment that will support HMC Group on its growth trajectory.

With the new investment, HMC Group will be able to effectively scale the operations of Nexus Airlines.

“The follow-on investment will allow for further strategic investments of additional smaller aviation and tourism businesses, where they will add value and improved economies of scale to the existing core HMC Group businesses,” said Michael.

“Michael and his team have identified a number of significant growth opportunities for HMC Group as they continue to make a meaningful impact in one of Australia’s most remote regions. It’s wonderful to partner with them on this journey,” Ghazaleh added.

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