VistaJet Set To Go Global 7500
VistaJet will receive its first Bombardier Global 7500 in January and foresees strong growth in the Middle East for its charter service.

Charter operator VistaJet (Stand 1258), the flagship brand of Dubai-based business aviation holding company Vista Global, is highlighting at the Dubai Airshow the impending arrival of the Global 7500 for its all-Bombardier large-cabin fleet. Claimed as the world’s largest and longest-range purpose-built business jet, by year-end Vista Global will take the first of a 30-aircraft order placed early this decade.


VistaJet, which saw Middle East flights rise 38 percent last year, foresees strong regional growth and recently bolstered its Dubai office, established in 2010 at the Dubai International Financial Centre, with three local staffers.


“The focus is on developing the region further, and this is best done by people inside the region,” said VistaJet COO Ian Moore. “We really want to be talking to all corners of the world, and Dubai is one of its most important hubs.”


With their size and range, the Global 7500s could be one of the keys to attracting more charter customers in the Middle East. VistaJet will take at least six of the new jets from Vista Global, with the first scheduled to join its fleet in January, making the Malta-based company the first to operate the 7500 commercially. All systems are “positioned for seamless introduction,” Moore told AIN


Upward-migrating current customers will be first aboard, and given the 7500’s long legs—some 7,700 nm—block time program minimum may be in the 150- to 200-hour range, rather than the current 100 hours for the access program’s current flagship Global 6000.


The 7500 interior color scheme will borrow from textural elements and the cool neutral palette of the fleet’s Challenger 850s. In an example of the group’s synergies, VistaJet will support Vista Lease’s Global 7500 customers, whether for generating charter revenue or providing supplemental lift when a lessee’s 7500 is unavailable.


Vista Global was established in August 2018 by VistaJet founder and chairman Thomas Flohr. Shortly after that, it acquired U.S.-based midsize business jet charter fleet owner and operator XOJet and per-seat charter broker and mobile charter app developer JetSmarter. The two companies were combined in June and rebranded XO, which offers charter access ranging from per-seat shuttle flights to corporate-level service plans.


Meanwhile, VistaJet maintains its focus on “tapping into our members’ passion,” said Moore. “It’s more than just moving people from A to B. We’re facilitating and aiding their lifestyle,” he said, pointing to VistaJet’s onboard wine program, Adventures in the Sky children’s program, and pets program as examples. â€śOne of every four flights involves pets,” he noted.


Concurrently the company has enhanced its back-office and customer service operations with JetSmarter technology, allowing customers to, for example, “order food and wine seamlessly on the app,” he said.


For some years VistaJet regularly touted double-digit percentage growth in membership and flight hours, but since the group’s restructuring, “We’ve scaled back from reporting quarterly,” a “more mature” approach, said Moore. He noted, however, that VistaJet grew 25 percent last year in total flights.