As more of the wealthy split their time between multiple homes while managing business interests across different locations, their heightened need to get to and between places that are not well-served by airlines while staying in touch is driving demand for private aviation.
What’s more, the number of the super-rich who have the finances to fly privately is multiplying. Over the past five years, the Knight Frank Wealth Report estimates that an average of 89 ultra-high-net-worth individuals are minted every day.
Knight Frank defines UHNWIs as individuals with a net worth of at least $30 million. There are currently 713,626 UHNWIs worldwide. That’s up from 551,435 in 2021. The United States, which already accounted for 35% of the new super-rich, is projected to add 136,000 UHNWIs in the next five years and increase its share of the very wealthy to 41%. Last year, the U.S. accounted for 68% of worldwide private jet departures, according to WingX.
A key trend that supports future private jet demand, according to Knight Frank, is the super-rich are increasingly on the move. More UHNWIs are spending fewer than 90 days in their primary hub.
As they downscale their budgets for a hub residence from $30-$50 million to $15 million, they are accumulating more secondary homes, favoring branded residences and clubs with high-touch services.
Knight Frank says, “Mobility demands properties that function effortlessly. When a buyer touches down on a Tuesday morning, they want the fridge stocked, the heating on, and the concierge waiting. Demand for highly serviced residences has followed.”
Embraer’s Smart Window on its Praetor 600 and 500 private jets enable bosses to toggle between movies, video games, and in-flight video conference calls.
Embraer
With multiple companies and bases to visit, Knight Frank says the idea that private aviation is an excess is giving way to the view that it is instead a necessity. Forty-seven percent of first-time private aviation users are under age 45, according to the 20th edition of the report, which was published earlier this week.
The traditional triangle of New York, London, and Miami continues to thrive, as demand for private jets is exploding on new routes. Knight Frank reports private flights between New York and Nantucket were up 192% in 2025 compared to the prior year. There was also a 50% increase in flying between London and Swiss mountain resort airports. Overall flying was up 5%, according to WingX.
Increased demand “underlines the rise of dual‑location lifestyles (with) financiers and entrepreneurs splitting their time between primary and secondary residences.”
“The direction of travel is towards movement across a network of homes, offices and lifestyle hubs – underpinning demand for prime property in multiple markets,” says Knight Frank. Time savings, including flying nonstop and using more convenient airports are the top reasons to fly privately, according to research by Private Jet Card Comparisons.
With more companies mandating workers back to the office daily, and more bosses seemingly away from the office, just because the lights in the corner office are off, the rest of us won’t get a break. Knight Frank says senior management will still be able to reach you when they need to. To accommodate the needs of UHNWIs to always be in touch, private jets “now offer communications infrastructure and operational capability to rival a six‑star hotel.”
Recently, Embraer unveiled Smart Window. The 42-inch, 4K OLED touchscreen enables video conferencing and high-resolution video streaming. When the bosses get tired of your presentation, they can switch to real-time exterior views via three externally mounted cameras, an in-flight cinema, or even video games.
A slew of large U.S. private jet operators, including NetJets, Flexjet, VistaJet, Wheels Up, FlyExclusive, Nicholas Air, Baker Aviation, and Fly Alliance, have announced upgrades to in-flight connectivity with Starlink and Gogo. The goal is to enable in-flight video conferences.
So, while the rest of us need to make sure we are in the office, Knight Frank’s Head of Private Office, Paddy Dring, says UHNWIs now have “an almost nomadic ability to switch from one location to another.”
We can no longer kick back because the boss is on vacation next week. Instead, welcome to the “normalization of remote management that allows an entrepreneur to oversee business from a yacht in the Mediterranean or a beach in the Bahamas.”
Last year saw the highest number of new private jet deliveries since 2009.
READ: Big Private Jet Operators Are Betting On Faster And Longer
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
