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Private Jets and Business Aircraft

Private Jet

With the well documented issues in commercial flying more and more people have found reasons to turn to private aircraft.

There are a variety of options to consider. The starting point is how often you want to fly privately.

If you only fly a few hours a year then on demand aircraft charter is probably the best way to go. As your number of hours of private flying increases look at charter cards and fractional cards.

Once you reach about 50 hours of flying a year then fractional aircraft ownership can start to make sense and above 300 or so hours per year whole ownership is worth looking into. Here is some core information to help you understand the options.

All of the major providers have expanded over the last few years. Many now offer a wide range of products and solutions to meet the needs of various clients. If you're looking at the different options and would like a good general overview then download our free Guide to Private Aviation, which includes details on charter, jet cards and fractional ownership. For detailed side by side comparisons of the leading jet card and fractional providers, a directory of charter operators, and our Aircraft Buying Guide then sign up for membership. 

The latest news and research on private jets and aircraft is included below.

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The newly combined Halo has placed a firm order of 200 Eve Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles. Halo will be the launch customer for this aircraft. These electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have an expected delivery date in 2026. One hundred of the aircraft will be used for operations in the United States and 100 will operate in the United Kingdom.

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Fractional operator Airshare has ordered three super midsize Challenger 350 aircraft, with options for 17 more. This will enable the Kansas City-based private aviation company to double the size of its fractional ownership fleet, which is currently made up of light jets.

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Business aviation is an essential component of the modern global marketplace, but there is no denying the negative impact of fuel emissions and the growing carbon footprint on our planet. Therefore, it benefits both companies, consumers, and the larger population to have more sustainable and eco-friendly offerings.

The drive toward sustainability has become a key concern for many major industries in recent years, and the private aviation sector is no different. Companies have adopted a number of new initiatives, including carbon offsets, carbon trading, and the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). In this article, we provide an overview of this vast and innovative field.

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The private aviation holding company, Directional Aviation, has added two more offerings to its portfolio. It has recently acquired Halo Aviation Ltd. (Halo), a leading provider of helicopter transportation services in the United Kingdom. This follows on the acquisition earlier this year of Associated Aircraft Group (AAG), the premier provider of executive Sikorsky helicopter service in the Northeastern United States.

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One of the leading jet card providers, Sentient Jet, has announced a new Transatlantic Program that offers card owners fixed one-way rates with guaranteed availability to Europe this summer.

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One common question as people start to explore their options with private aircraft is how much does it actually cost? This article will walk you through various cost factors and will provide some broad guidelines for pricing.

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Flexjet, one of the largest private aviation companies, has expanded its private terminal network with a new location at Van Nuys airport in Los Angeles, California. The company’s fourth terminal is on the Clay Lacy Executive Complex and features a 3,000 square-foot lounge available exclusively for Flexjet clients.

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The jet card provider, Sentient Jet, ended 2020 with $450MM in jet card sales, achieving 60% year over year growth. SherpaReport caught up with CEO Andrew Collins to discuss results and trends from 2020, expectations for 2021 and the changes brought on by the pandemic.

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Many jet card programs come with a range of extra perks, offering lifestyle benefits in dining, entertainment, travel, and even health. Omaha-based Jet Linx provides their Elevated Lifestyle program, and in the past year they have added a host of new partners to the scheme. We caught up with Jet Linx to learn more about these new benefits, and to revisit what other benefits are available to members.

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The COVID pandemic had a negative effect on most industries in 2020, including aviation sales. However, the latest data from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) indicates that demand is still strong and will rebound as pandemic fears ease. Last year saw 644 new business jets sold worldwide, a 20.4% decline from 2019 figures (809 sales). GAMA notes that sales were stronger in the 4th quarter, providing optimism for recovery in 2021.

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In the continuing flow of deals in business aviation Vista Global, parent company of VistaJet and XO, is buying Apollo Jets. Apollo and its 4,000 clients will be integrated as a division of XO, Vista Global’s digital brand.

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Figures from ARGUS show the largest part 135 charter operators in the USA in 2020. The figures include both the hours flown and the number of aircraft in their charter fleets. Overall hours in 2020 dropped due to COVID, but at the same time there is a lot of consolidation happening in the industry.

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Fractional aircraft operator NetJets has obtained purchase rights for 20 AS2 supersonic business jets. The two companies are also looking at further partnerships.

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SherpaReport recently talked to Brad Blettner, Senior Vice President of flyExclusive. We discussed results in 2020, plans for 2021 and tips and advice for private aviation flyers.

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The numbers from aviation services company ARGUS, show fractional aircraft operators flew 504,821 hours in 2020 a decrease of 115,467 hours (18.6%), compared to 2019. The number of actual flights by the fractional operators dropped 22.4% in 2020 compared to 2019 flight levels. The largest operators are ranked and discussed below.

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Last year, SherpaReport took a look at up-and-coming aviation company Jet It. The North Carolina company was established in late 2018 to offer fractional ownership of the HondaJet Elite aircraft. The company quickly garnered attention with its day-use model and its guaranteed residual values. This latest article looks at their continued progress and recent announcements for further expansion.

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SherpaReport recently caught up with Ian Moore, the Chief Commercial Officer at VistaJet. We talked through the changes that VistaJet has seen over the last year, the effect of COVID, expectations for 2021 and advice for anyone looking at private aviation.

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Wheels Up is planning to go public via a merger with special purpose acquisition company, Aspirational Consumer Lifestyle Corp (NYSE: ASPL). The transaction values Wheels Up at an enterprise value of $2.1 billion.

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Having just launched in August 2020, the premium on-demand charter provider has seen rapid growth. FXAIR ended the year having arranged more than 4,000 premium on-demand charter flights for more than 8,000 passengers to 600 destinations.

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If you are considering private aviation for your future travels, this article will give you a good introduction to chartering an aircraft for the first time.

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As part of its continuing acquisition spree, Wheels Up has acquired operator Mountain Aviation. Adding 59 total aircraft to its fleet. This latest acquisition follows on a pattern of buying large, well established management and jet charter operator companies.

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Air Charter Service (ACS) is running a holiday promotion on its jet card with the goal of helping families come together to celebrate. Air Charter Service’s Empyrean jet card usually has a minimum requirement of 25 hours. This festive offer lets people buy a card with a reduced requirement of just 15 hours. Cards can be bought through December 31, 2020.

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