A rise in demand for private business travel has prompted business aviation company VistaJet to introduce long-haul flights to the eastern and southern regions of Africa.
The company, which has been operating for 20 years, is expanding its Bombardier Global 7500 fleet. The jets have a range of 14,260km and can fly 17 hours non-stop. VistaJet clients include large corporations and businesspeople seeking seamless and direct connection to destinations on the continent.
Philippe Scalabrini, president for Europe and Africa, said the company was focusing more on the region due to difficulties in travelling across the continent.
“If you needed to travel to Casablanca, Morocco, there is no direct flight. So our services allow clients in Africa to travel point to point as our customers in other continents do,” he said.
While VistaJet has operated in Africa for 14 years, this is the first time it has made the Bombardier Global 7500 available in the region.
VistaJet said it had seen significant growth in demand for its services in Africa in the first half of 2024
“We have three regional aircraft known as the Embraer Legacy 650, which are more cost-effective to operate here. But because of the demand, we realised that we need to invest more resources.”
The Embraer Legacy 650 is a midsize jet that carries up to 13 passengers and can fly just over seven hours nonstop.
Describing the Global 7500 as the largest business jet, VistaJet said it could carry up to 14 passengers and sleep up to eight people. The company guarantees the availability of the jet in 24 hours, with prices standardised per hour globally. The average cost of the jet for a long-haul destination ranges between R325,000 to R450,000.
“These are amazing business tools, they fly 17 hours non-stop and they can connect to any destination, which is important because connectivity is a big part of the business,” said Scalabrini.
VistaJet said it had seen significant growth in demand for its services in Africa in the first half of 2024. Scalabrini said in the first six months it recorded 103% growth in the number of hours flown in the continent, including a 30% increase in new memberships.
The company expected more regional growth, which could lead to its fleet on the continent growing to at least 20 aircraft.
“Africa is a growing economy, presenting opportunities for business for us. Most of the sectors that use our services are profitable industries such as mining and telecommunications. Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa among some of the common destinations.”
Scalabrini said VistaJet had calculated the weighted risk of operating as it had years of experience doing business on the continent.
The main risk was the operational costs of making a crew available and ensuring the flight reached its destination on time.
“The client only pays for occupied flight time, we incur the rest of the financial cost. So if we need to get the jet from one place to another, we need to ferry it at our own expense. However, we understand that this is a great market for the long-range flight.”
Africa continues to face challenges in the aviation sector, making it difficult to travel within the continent. There are limited flight options to most of central Africa, with no direct flights between some neighbouring countries.
The Oliver Wyman Global Fleet and MRO Market Forecast says the sector is on a path to recovery after facing setbacks during the pandemic. The fleet size on the continent is projected to grow by 25% to more than 1,400 aircraft by 2034.
In South Africa, there has been an increase in direct flights from Johannesburg to international destinations. In September, German airline Lufthansa started offering a direct flight from Munich to Johannesburg. At the same time, Air France reintroduced three flights a week from Cape Town to Paris.
Within the continent, new routes to the Democratic Republic of Congo have opened, as have flights between Botswana and Durban. FlySafair has launched its first international flight to Windhoek, Namibia.
Scalabrini said that while the company was looking to expand its footprint in Africa, the plan was not to replace commercial aviation but to offer more convenient options.
“Our expansion is in line with the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement that we want to support, and we believe business aviation is key in the economic growth of this region.”
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