VistaJet Orders 18 Bombardier Jets Worth $383M

Swiss operator VistaJet today at EBACE announced a firm order for 18 Bombardier business jets, which will bring its fleet to more than 50 aircraft. The order, valued at $383 million, includes 12 Globals and Challengers and six Learjet 60 XRs. Deliveries should begin next year. Thomas Flohr, founder, owner and chairman of VistaJet, said his company’s current order backlog is valued at $1.3 billion. On order are 10 Global 6000s, six Challenger 605s, 11 Learjet 85s and six Learjet 60 XRs. VistaJet operates a Bombardier-only fleet. Flohr pointed out that three-quarters of the operator’s flights now originate from or go to “fast-growth markets,” such as Brazil, Russia, India, Nigeria, China and the Middle East. Four years ago, this was only 25 percent. While 2011 is “off to a good start,” Flohr said 2010 saw a 25-percent increase in revenues over the previous year. He noted that some 20,000 passengers traveled aboard VistaJet aircraft last year. He said this is the result of a strategy “centered on [the passengers’] actual requirements, rather than a perceived desire for abstract ownership.”