KUALA LUMPUR: VistaJet Global Holding Ltd, the parent company of VistaJet, continues to see strong demand for private jet charter services from Malaysia even after 16 years of being present in the local market.
The group's vice president of marketing (Asia Pacific and India, Middle East and Africa), Amy Yang told Business Times that VistaJet saw 43 per cent growth in its programme membership for Malaysia from January to September this year, although she could not disclose the exact number.
However, she said the country remain a core market in Southeast Asia for the private jet charter company.
"Malaysia is the first market that we enter in Southeast Asia in 2008. It has been a long time. Singapore is also a strong market for us. There's a lot of opportunities in Indonesia as well as Japan and South Korea," Yang said in an interview.
When asked who are the overall clients of VistaJet, she said they are a mix between corporations and high net-worth individuals with an average age of 50 years-old.
She added that the number of female members is increasing rapidly although the current majority is male members.
Amy also said one of the most popular aircraft amongst the company's clients is the large, long-range business jet – the Global 7500 manufacturer by Canadian business jet manufacturer, Bombardier Inc.
"The range (of the aircraft) is unbeatable. It's up to 17-hour flight time. So, you can fly from New York to Hong Kong, Singapore to Los Angeles non-stop. It connects point-to-point travel," she said, adding that most clients would travel to tier two and tier three cities where there are no direct connections available via commercial airlines.
VistaJet Global has a fleet size of 300 business jets which includes the Bombadier, Cessna, Dassault, Embraer and Gulfstream aircraft that ranges from short to medium to long-haul.
Amy said the company currently has no plans to expand its fleet size.
"At the moment, no for the next 18-20 months. In the future, it depends on how the business grows and then it will be a decision for Thomas," she added.
VistaJet Global was founded in 2004 by Swiss-born entrepreneur Thomas Flohr. The company started with two aircraft and has become a global business aviation services company offering private jet charter with customisable services.
The company offers a subscription model to its members with a minimum of 50-hours of flight per year starting from US$15,000 per hour depending on various factors such as the membership programme and type of aircraft being rented.
The programme membership allows members to access VistaJet's fleet of private jets that can be flown worldwide.