Strong demand for private air travel in the Middle East has made a “significant contribution” to Vista Global Holding’s (Vista’s) “exceptional” first half sales results.
Dubai proved the group’s top destination during the period, with Vista operating more private jet flights to the emirate’s two international airports than any other destination.
The Middle East saw a 100 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of new VistaJet Programme Members between January and June 2021, compared to the first half of 2020. At the same time, VistaJet registered a 153 per cent increase in the number of flight hours against the same period last year, compared to North America and Europe which registered 76 per cent and 41 per cent respectively.
The region had some of the highest growth in terms of number of all VistaJet flights, with an increase of 134 per cent versus the same time last year, while Bahrain, UAE and Qatar all witnessed a massive triple-digit year-on-year increase for the same period, with +283 per cent, +236 per cent and 231 per cent respectively.
While the majority of growth came in the second quarter, when a rebound in regional and international flight activity helped drive acceleration across the group, several key flying events provided a boost in Q1, said Vista, “including an uplift in travel from Russia in January/February and strong travel over the Easter period in March/April”.
“The resumption of business and international travel marked a significant increase in flights during Q2, while the Orthodox Easter also provided an uplift in flights specifically to Dubai in May. The flexibility of its floating fleet and where it is placed around the world has allowed Vista to take advantage of these flight movements and position its global fleet accordingly,” said the company.
UAE-based Vista, which has its global headquarters at Dubai International Financial Centre, is the world’s largest on-demand charter provider by hours flown. The group’s unique portfolio of brands includes VistaJet, XO and the recently acquired Red Wing Aviation, Apollo Jets and Talon Air.
