VistaJet had another record year in 2018, with new members and flight numbers rising year on year. As it enters its 15th year, the Malta-based operator made significant progress on its core strategic priorities, increasing market share worldwide.

New contracts of VistaJet's flagship Program membership grew by 31 per cent in 2018 and the number of its flights increased by 25 per cent. As demand for longer flights and comfort continues to increase across the industry, VistaJet's utilisation grew by 20 per cent across its fleet of more than 70 aircraft, equating to enough hours to fly each aircraft around the world 20 times on average.

Regionally, Europe proved a significant market, accounting for 48 per cent of total VistaJet flights in 2018. New Program members grew significantly by 105 per cent in the region, with the majority of growth coming from clients based in the UK, where the number of new contracts doubled.

North America remained a key growth driver for VistaJet and accounted for the largest increase in flights in 2018, with a rise of 46 per cent. To cater for the growing demand from customers in the region, 21 per cent of VistaJet's global fleet is in the market at any given time, with the Global 5000 fleet flying more than the Challenger aircraft during the year.

Founder and chairman Thomas Flohr states: “2018 was a further milestone year for VistaJet. Despite increasing economic and geopolitical headwinds, we anticipate resilience across our customer base for 2019. As the world's largest wealth region with over 34 per cent of the globe's UHNWIs, we foresee the greatest growth opportunity to continue in the US.

“Now as part of Vista Global, VistaJet will be supported by XOJET to further service this strong market. I firmly believe that VistaJet and Vista Global will continue to revolutionise the aviation industry by providing a better alternative to aircraft ownership in this globalised and shared economy, and will unlock long term growth for our business and customers.”