Lifeline for business travellers

Frequent travellers within the business community, government circles and organisations who travel outside the country for serious business can now travel even on short notice by booking a private business jet within 24 hours of their travel.

This is just one of the conveniences VistaJet, a new private commercial airline that provides bespoke executive services to the upper segment of the aviation market, brings to the Ghanaian and African travellers customers.

The Founder and Chairman of VistaJet, Mr Thomas Flohr, told a section of journalists in Accra that Ghana was an important gateway to Africa because of its stability and fast growing business environment.

Mr Flohr and a team from VistaJet are on an 11-day Africa Tour, their first stop being Ghana where he took the opportunity to announce the company’s placement of order to acquire 56 new Bombardier Global aircraft, with options for 86 others.

The deal valued at $7.8 billion represents the single largest transaction with any aircraft manufacturer in the history of aviation business.

VistaJet is a non-schedule business airline that flies customers from any point to another in the remotest parts of the world, in a schedule convenient to the passenger.

Since its establishment in 2004 in Switzerland, VistaJet has grown very fast, beating all other commercial private jet businesses because of its unique business model which responds to the changing needs of business executives, government officials and other executives.

In 2012 alone, the carrier operated 10,000 flights, carrying 25,000 passengers to 136 different airports across the globe.The airline operates brand new Bombardier jets of not more than five years, with a capacity to fly for 62,000 nautical miles or 13 hours non-stop.

Mr Flohr said the historic order of new aircraft was a good news for the Ghanaian market as the company would soon dedicate aircraft to fly in and out of the country to other corner of the globe.

“We will be the first and only provider in Africa to offer brand new aircraft for our customers. We believe such booming markets deserve brand new state-of-the-art aircraft rather than aging the pre-owned aircraft they have been accustomed to receiving,” the founder and chairman of VistaJet said.

Mr Kola Aluko, a Nigerian business magnate, who frequently flies across the globe, has become one of VistaJet’s customers and now serves as its West African Ambassador.

 He said his initially flew for 50 hours, which quickly grew to 100 and 150 hours; he flew 900 hours last year on various business trips.

 “This is a Swiss company with the right focus on Africa. VistaJet provides a huge game changer, it has really impacted very positively on my business,” Mr Aluko explained.

 He said the airline which now operates to many parts of the African continent in just three years, provides safe, convenient and executive services to its clients to any part of the world.

The VistaJet Ambassador for Ghana, Oheneba Yaw Otchere, said the airline served all segments of the upper class market very well, saying the government and other executives stand to benefit greatly.

Story by Samuel Doe Ablordeppey