The D riv ing F o rc e
Thomas Flohr, Founder and Chairman of Dubai-based Vista Global, is pioneering change in the aviation industry WORDS: AMY SESSIONS
The world’s first private aviation ecosystem integrates a unique portfolio of companies offering asset-light solutions covering all key aspects of business aviation and includes VistaJet, the first and only global business aviation company, which has seen an upswing in operation post pandemic that looks sets to stay. What do your first 30 mins of the day look like, your morning routine? I usually fly about 250 days a year, but still try to keep a routine. Last year it was even more important to have a routine – especially as it is many years since I had been in the same place for an extended length of time. When at home, each morning I get up at the same time, eat breakfast and then walk a few steps to my office next to the house. I take a quick lunch break
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away from the office before working again until returning in the evening for a workout. What is your approach to business and building a work culture? At Vista we have a startup mentality, but also a global mentality. With our structure, everyone is responsible for driving success, and our colleagues are fundamental to our business – we have always worked as one combined team and have an internal trust across teams which has proven itself even more over the last year. I had the initial vision, however, as a collective we have made Vista what it is today. What was the catalyst for launching VistaJet and what have been the biggest hurdles you’ve had to overcome? Prior to VistaJet, I was in asset finance and flying hundreds of hours each year. The only way to be in multiple meetings in multiple countries in one day was
to fly private. However, I was surprised by the amount of time that business jets would sit idle – the average utilization of a business jet is 250 hours per year, yet commercial planes are used around 4,000 hours a year – and the lack of consistency from one to another which meant that as a customer I didn’t know what would be waiting for me on the tarmac. I saw very early on when I entered this industry that it was extremely inefficient and backwardslooking. When I see waste, I become ambitious – if something doesn’t make sense, it’s a natural inclination to challenge it. So, I saw an opportunity to offer an alternative. I founded VistaJet in 2004, introducing a new way to fly – access to an entire worldwide and branded fleet, paying only for the hours flown with guaranteed availability and no asset risk. Then, in 2018 I formed Vista Global Holding
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5/27/21 3:59 PM