Vista, the global private aviation group which owns the VistaJet and XO brands, has already had a big year. In February, it inked a deal for a major fleet agreement with Bombardier, comprising 40 firm orders for the Challenger 3500 aircraft and 120 additional purchase option.
Management said at the time that the agreement secures long-term capacity for Vista’s growing member base as global demand for premium private aviation continues to expand.
Deliveries will begin immediately in 2026 and be phased over up to the next 10 years.
Later that month, Vista America, operating partner for the Vista Members’ fleet, was awarded the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Diamond Award of Excellence, the highest FAA distinction for maintenance training in the United States.
The growth in private aviation
It’s no secret the private jet arena continues to grow as the demand for flexible and discreet travel expands. For example, Vista says 2025 was another year of consecutive double-digit growth for the group’s multi-year subscription-based program product. In 2025 the program member base grew by 12% and Vista flew 16% more live program hours year-over-year. Program live hours growth was delivered across all markets, with the group’s core regions of the U.S. and Europe being the largest contributors — up 11% and 15% respectively.
We caught up with Daniele Deiana, executive vice president of UK & Ireland at Vista, to hear about the trends in private jet travel, as well as what it’s like to keep up with the ever-evolving high-net-worth traveler.
“At Vista, we’re seeing a fundamental shift: private aviation is no longer defined by luxury alone – it’s defined by control, personalization, and purpose, Deiana tells World of Luxury.
He says that demand continues to expand beyond traditional corporate use and that Visa is seeing increased uptake from families, multi-generational travelers, and younger high-earning individuals, particularly those who are travelling more frequently and for longer durations.
He’s also seeing private aviation being paired more frequently with other private experiences, such as yachts, villas and custom itineraries to provide a seamless, door-to-destination experience.
The Med is popular for bleisure trips
The U.S. outbound market is Vista’s largest and while corporate travel is typically the primary driver, multi-stop itineraries combining business and leisure are growing. For the summer, these combined trip requests are primarily for Europe, particularly Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Remote and “off-grid” destinations are also gaining in popularity.
“This aligns with a broader trend: U.S.-based UHNW (ultra-high-net-worth) and corporate travelers are traveling more globally and more intentionally, often structuring trips around business rather than destinations — something a floating fleet is uniquely designed to support,” said Deiana. “Given that the U.S. represents Vista’s largest member base, and with a growing number of emerging corporate clients, particularly startups, scaling at remarkable speed, this dynamic is even more pronounced.”
We asked Deiana for his insights on how to market to the high-net-worth individual. He told us that it’s less about persuasion and more about relevance and resonance.
Marketing to UHNW individuals
“What stands out today is a move away from traditional ‘luxury signaling’ toward meaningful, experience-led storytelling,” he said, adding that UHNW individuals are increasingly seeking personalization over prestige, access over ownership and meaning over materialism.
As a result, Vista’s messaging to its clients centers on time as the ultimate luxury, seamless global access and guaranteed availability, privacy and discretion and curated, end-to-end experiences.
“We also see strong engagement when messaging aligns with current travel behaviors — particularly among U.S. clients who are combining work and leisure travel, taking extended ‘reset’ trips (what some call ‘nano-retirements’) and seeking culturally immersive, high-touch experiences abroad,” Deiana tells World of Luxury.
How to keep those customers
Retaining the UHNW client also requires specific behavior from a supplier; it’s driven entirely by consistency, anticipation, and discretion, said Deiana. “The baseline expectation is flawless execution. What differentiates is everything beyond that includes anticipating preferences before they’re stated, delivering highly personalized, repeatable experiences and ensuring absolute privacy and confidentiality.”
When it comes to U.S. outbound trends — clients travelling internationally expect seamless cross-border coordination, local expertise in emerging destinations and end-to-end journey management, not just for the flight.
The strife of the current world landscape has accelerated several key trends, said Deiana. “The most prominent is that privacy has become the ultimate status symbol. High-net-worth travelers are actively seeking seclusion, discretion, and controlled environments — whether that’s private terminals, off-market villas, or fully customized itineraries.”
Quiet luxury is still a thing
Other trends for ultra-high-net-worth individuals? The move to “quiet luxury” continues; that’s tied into less visible, more personal, and more intentional travel .
An increased demand for wellness-driven and restorative travel also continues as does a shift toward longer, slower journeys with deeper cultural immersion.
Deiana says that from a U.S. outbound perspective, this translates into more complex itineraries that combine multiple regions in one journey and greater interest in secondary and emerging destinations beyond overcrowded hubs.
Subscribe to our new World of Luxury newsletter
