VISIONARY AIR
Flying High
THOMAS FLOHR FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN VISTA GLOBAL
Thomas Flohr, who runs one of the largest private aviation companies in the world, shares how he found success in the sky. By Samantha Brooks
Desirables - Air
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Earlier this year, JetSmarter and XOJET were acquired by Vista Global, which was founded by Thomas Flohr in 2018 to create an on-demand, private travel platform, XO. XO leverages the power of JetSmarter’s innovation and technology and combines it with XOJET, one of the largest and most well-respected private aviation companies in North America. Under Flohr’s leadership, Vista Global offers a range of private aviation services, from jet management to on-demand booking. Here, Flohr shares insights into running one of the largest and most expansive brands in the ever-evolving aviation industry. 24
DESIRABLES
What got you into aviation?
What was your vision for VistaJet?
After university I started working in asset fi- While I was growing my first company, VistaJet, nance but very quickly found my experience in into the global-market-leading brand it is today, the corporate world too political, too regiment- I could see there would be significant demand for ed, too slow. But working in a large corporate a larger group that could offer a truly combined environment gave me access to the world of customer offering, no matter your needs or budget private air travel. Immediately, I was struck by or where in the world you needed these services. the huge variation in standards and quality— Being an entrepreneur and striving for the there was no definite in what you were going best you are always looking for the next opto meet on the tarmac and most aircraft were portunity to disrupt a market. Our industry reliant on owner’s release. I could see there was too fragmented, technology was beginwas a gap in the market to create a premium, ning to make its way into the sector, and yet at cost-effective, simple, and standardized mod- the same time, there remained a huge disconel for all fliers globally, which is why I start- nect between the large amount of supply and ed VistaJet, and more recently, Vista Global. high demand in the market.