by The co-founder of OnlyFans is backing an airline startup that wants to compete with British Airways.
Tom Stokely, a member of the Essex family who launched the adult subscription site, has joined the board of Global Airlines – a new carrier that hopes to offer flights from London Gatwick to New York and Los Angeles.
Stokely, his brother Tim and father, Guy, founded OnlyFans in 2016. The subscription website, known for hosting adult content, has seen explosive growth during the pandemic.
The Stokelys sold a majority stake to US porn baron Leonid Radvinsky in 2019 for an undisclosed price. OnlyFans made a profit of £36m on subscription revenue of £1.7bn in the year of the sale.
During his time at OnlyFans, Tom Stokely was the platform’s chief operating officer. The money he made from the site has since allowed Stokely to acquire shares in Global Airlines.
The business was founded three years ago by James Asquith, a former banker who broke the Guinness World Record as the youngest person to fly to all 196 sovereign nations.
Stokely is also a former banker and first crossed paths with Asquith last year when he joined the advisory board of his travel business, Holiday Swap.
When Holiday Swap – an app that allows homeowners around the world to rent out each other’s properties – was invented, Stokely described him as a “skilled businessman” who had previously worked at a “major company” as chief operating officer. OnlyFans was not mentioned.
Unlike his brother, Tim, who has flaunted his wealth on social media, Tom has mostly kept a low profile.
His role at Global Airlines has evolved as the startup prepares for what many see as a bold attempt to compete with established carriers. Flights from London to New York would put the carrier in direct competition with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which dominate the route.
In interviews, Asquith promised to bring back the “golden age” of travel, often recalling seeing his father, a pilot, wearing his captain’s uniform before taking off.
He promised to restore the glamor of travel through Global Airlines, promising to “revolutionize commercial flying” and make passengers feel “a million dollars”.
Details of how it will do this are still under wraps but Global Airlines has said it will serve Laurent-Perrier champagne on board and provide first class customers with chauffeur service direct to the airport.
“For the last 20 years, everybody has done the same thing, which is to have this race at the bottom on price,” he told The Times last year.
“The benefits are taken away. You see the US carriers now and their loyalty programs just get stripped. Year after year it gets worse and worse. Because everyone is drinking the same Kool-Aid.”
Some observers have said that Asquith’s plans will inject life into the transatlantic route. Others, however, question whether Global Airlines will fly passengers at all, given the high costs and regulatory hurdles associated with launch.
Aviation consultant John Strickland says: “There are two sides to it. There is a huge list of challenges and most startups fail to do it. But after meeting him, I think if anyone has a chance to do it he has that chance.
“He understands the challenge but he strikes me as someone who is extremely determined and is in the process of putting people around him who have the right expertise.”
Dubai-based Asquith has so far built a fleet of four Airbus A380s, which it claims it acquired from German investment firm Doric last year.
Global Airlines hoped to have at least one of these super jumbo jets in operation by the spring of 2024, flying passengers across the Atlantic just three years after the company’s launch.
However, the start-up has since pushed back on this goal and is now considering using its planes as a charter service for major events, such as the upcoming 2026 World Cup in SA.
A spokesman said: “We intend to start charter flights later in 2024 with scheduled services from the UK after that.
“We expect to operate our first round of passenger services in the next 12 months. However, like many other companies in aviation, we have encountered some delays with our partners and numerous supply chain issues that we continue to work on and find solutions to.”
As for Stokely’s involvement in the project, which now has around 100 people involved, there are more questions than answers as to what he will be responsible for.
Regardless, Stokely and Asquith face a huge task in getting Global Airlines off the ground.
“My mind is, it’s still the devil’s job to achieve it,” says Strickland, before adding: “I look back on my career and thought Emirates and easyJet weren’t going to work. What do I know?”
