Worldwide private aviation group Vista Global Holding’s (Vista) had a record year in 2022, with revenue growth of more than 50%. The group also completed several investments and acquisitions including expanding their fleet to over 360 aircraft around the world.
Program Membership Growth
The VistaJet Program membership is the core subscription based access for flying on the Vista fleet, aimed at customers who fly more than 50 hours per year. In 2022 the gross annual hours sold were up 74% compared to 2021 and showing a run-rate at over 3x pre-COVID levels. Vista notes that this gives great visibility on forward demand” because the Program memberships are three-year agreements.
The strong performance reflects a year of record-breaking flying across all core markets despite a series of macroeconomic events, as the total growth in fight numbers for Vista increased globally by 28% year-over-year (YOY). Regionally, in the U.S Vista saw a 41% increase in number of flights during 2022, with Asia, Europe and the Middle East up 69%, 29% and 22% respectively. New York became the number one location for number of flights during the year, followed by London and Paris.
Thomas Flohr, Vista’s Founder and Chairman said: “It has been an incredible 2022 for Vista with strong growth across all of our core regions and offerings during the year. Our 2022 results clearly show that Vista is the go-to solution for new and existing Members who are increasingly turning to asset-free offerings. We have hugely invested in our global infrastructure, ensuring our clients have the best aircraft available, across every corner of the world, backed by the latest technology.”
In 2022 Vista also introduced the VistaJet VJ25 membership, a three-year subscription for travelers flying 25 to 49 hours per year, and streamlined the XO membership offerings.
Acquisitions & Fleet Growth
In 2022 Vista completed several acquisitions which added to its global infrastructure, scale and technology. Early in 2022 it acquired Air Hamburg, the largest private jet operator by number of flights across Europe. A few months later it bought US based charter operator and aircraft management company Jet Edge.
Including the above acquisitions, overall the group added an additional 117 aircraft to the Vista Members’ fleet in 2022, expanding to over 360 aircraft globally. The fleet includes light, super mid-size, long-range, and ultra-long range aircraft, including the largest fleet of Global 7500 – to date, Vista has taken the delivery of 18 Global 7500s.
At the end of 2022, Vista also acquired the real-time charter and flight analytics platform Camber Technologies. The investments have continued in 2023, with Vista leading a funding round in hybrid-electric tilt-wing aircraft developer Dufour Aerospace. Dufour is building VTOL (vertical take off and landing) aircraft for both passenger transport and logistics.