VistaJet has shown record growth in sales over the first half of this year, across its Program and On Demand offerings. The company witnessed a huge surge in global demand for both new memberships and global flight hours, and this trend has continued into the second half of the year.

“We have made ground-breaking progress in every market, with the Middle East for example seeing a 100 per cent increase in new membership in the first half of 2021 compared to the same time in 2020,” remarks COO Ian Moore. “While these figures come at a time when the world continues to reopen and businesses get used to operating in the ‘new normal’, many of the new subscriptions were a result of conversations we were having before the pandemic took hold, with people quite wisely taking a step back from making a final decision until there was a more positive outlook and better clarity on their flying needs.

“What we believe has been a major driver of growth this year is that there has been a clear shift towards people actively seeking a global fleet with the operational capacity and demand to be flying into and out of countries on a regular basis. This is important because, at a time when rules can and have often changed at the very last minute, people want to be flying with an operation that has the experience of dealing with that and have the confidence that it will be handled effectively.”

One major success has been the introduction of four Global 7500 aircraft. Moore is looking forward to increasing the fleet, with another two due to be operational within just a few weeks, with a total of 13 by the end of next year. As of the end of October, the Vista group fleet will include 194 aircraft, 80 of which are VistaJet large cabin, long-range Global and super-midsize Challenger jets, with signature silver and red livery, including the six Global 7500s.

Moore continues: “Given the challenges to global accessibility created as a direct byproduct of the pandemic, it is no surprise that demand for larger aircraft that can travel further has accelerated. Offering unparalleled connectivity, the Global 7500 has opened up a whole new world of long-haul private flying, and we are really proud to be the first to offer a fleet of this ground-breaking aircraft.

“The most popular aircraft in terms of flight hours is the Challenger 350. We currently have 22 in the VistaJet fleet and will be taking delivery of a further 10 through next year.

“As part of our commitment to delivering excellent service to all our customers, we are also in the process of having our entire fleet refurbished, which will be completed by the end of next year. This is to ensure that every cabin offers the same, unmistakable, VistaJet experience.”

The Global 7500 has opened up a whole new world of long-haul private flying and VistaJet has completed a number of non-stop flights recently, including Los Angeles to Hong Kong (14 hours 50 minutes), St Maarten to the Seychelles (14 hours 45 minutes), Liège to Jakarta (13 hours 30 minutes) and many from Abu Dhabi including Abu Dhabi to Washington DC (13 hours 50 minutes), Abu Dhabi to Sydney (13 hours 30 minutes) and Abu Dhabi to New York (13 hours 10 minutes).

“The sector as a whole has fared well during the pandemic due to it being able to fill the void left by the collapse of commercial aviation, as well as the fundamental benefits it offers in terms of safety and security,” Moore explains. “However, factors that have really set us apart from other operators have been the flexibility of our floating fleet and the unique global experience we have of flying to every part of the world, which has proven to be key when it comes to understanding and dealing with the many different and ever-changing travel requirements that we’ve had to deal with over the past year. And not to forget the team at VistaJet who drive our success. They have really stepped up under incredibly challenging circumstances to enable us to truly thrive in what has been a pivotal year for business aviation.

“What is really motivating us is that more people than ever are recognising the true value of business aviation, with more corporate and private individuals choosing the benefits of flying private. This is a trend that we expect to continue, and we are really excited to explore new opportunities that this may bring, in line with our goal to make flying private simple. "Looking more short-term, VistaJet will be at Dubai Airshow next month and we will be presenting the Global 7500 on static display for the first time in the region.”