By Jon Hemmerdinger2021-02-01T17:45:00+00:00 US private aviation company Wheels Up Partners has unveiled a plan to become a publicly traded company by merging with a “blank check company”. Wheels Up, based in New York, will combine with a newly formed, publicly traded shell company called Aspirational Consumer Lifestyle Corporation. Upon the merger, expected to close in the second quarter, Wheels Up will become a public firm, it says on 1 February. “This transaction will enable Wheels Up to accelerate marketplace growth and adoption, invest in adjacent lifestyle and consumer services to complement the platform, and drive global expansion,” the company says.