Story ID: 
VistaJet Soars To New Highs in 1H16
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: Traffic and passenger numbers surged 23 percent and 20 percent, respectively, in the first six months.
Word Count: 197
Despite the global economic malaise, membership jet charter firm VistaJet posted its best three-month period in the second quarter, while its traffic and passenger numbers surged 23 percent and 20 percent, respectively, in the first six months, the company announced today. It sold more than 3,000 new annual hours, including multiple deals exceeding 400 annual flight-hour blocks, during the second quarter. VistaJet’s fleet of 65 jets now logs more than 100 flights per day, it said.

During the first half, it saw “strong performance” in the U.S. as flight traffic in this region climbed 145 percent, bucking concerns about the strength of the U.S. economy and uncertainty ahead of the Presidential elections in November. VistaJet experienced “triple-digit growth” in flights from the U.S. to Europe and Asia, and traffic to Central and South America increased threefold. The company’s U.S. domestic flights rose 187 percent year-over-year.

Customers in the UK apparently are brushing off the Brexit vote, as “businesses and entrepreneurs have already started pursuing opportunities outside the EU.” Thus, VistaJet noted that flights to China from the UK more than quadrupled and flights to the U.S. and India were each up 50 percent.