More than 150 jets arrive in Augusta for golf’s Masters

Augusta National is the home of The Masters golf tournament.

More than 150 jets arrived at Augusta Regional Airport on Wednesday and Thursday as the city hosts the annual Masters golf tournament at Augusta National.

The airport’s arrivals boards began buzzing on Thursday (April 9) on the first day of the tournament. The day saw 149 business jet arrivals compared to just eight on Wednesday.

Another 209 business jets are scheduled to arrive at the regional airport on Friday with another three jets scheduled for Saturday. Flight numbers for the weekend are likely to go up as well.

NetJets remained the top operator for these flights commanding over 22% of share of all business jet flights arriving at the airport. Nearly 30% of the flights were for unidentified/private fliers.

This year is expected to the biggest Masters event in terms of private aviation traffic. “We look forward to hosting the 2026 Masters Airport Operation – it continues grow each year,” said Herbert L. Judon Jr., the airport’s executive director.

The “volume and complexity” of private flights in and out of Augusta during Masters week are “significantly higher”, according to Wheels Up’s chief sales officer Mark Briffa. 

“Masters week is one of the most significant moments of the year for Wheels Up, both in terms of our hospitality presence as well as the increased demand and spike that it does bring to the brand,” he told CJI. “We anticipate flight volume into Augusta to be generally in line with last year, which saw over 150 bookings. 

“We see a wide variety of mission profiles for travellers looking to attend the Masters, from coordinating travel for our athlete ambassadors like Ben Griffin to flying our members out to enjoy the tournament and time at the Wheels Up Clubhouse.

“We receive flight requests from New York City, Los Angeles, and many other major cities where our members are based. The sales team treats every single mission individually and with the personalised attention that our members have come to expect when booking with us, so each mission is specifically tailored to their needs.”

Briffa said the weather and surging demand were the main challenges around an event like the Masters. 

“Planning starts well in advance with maintenance and scheduling crews,” he said. “We check back in on weather and additional crew or staffing needs about a week in advance. Since last year, we’ve made meaningful operational improvements, and our focus remains on delivering a safe, reliable experience for every customer during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

“Focusing on a customer’s expectations during times of impactful operations takes a keen set of eyes to properly prepare a customer for potential impact.”  

The Wheels Up Clubhouse near the golf course adds a hospitality space for members at the event in addition to their private jet services.

Other companies such as Vista also hosts its members at the “Vista House”.

The Masters has evolved into more than just a sporting event as high-net-worth individuals use the opportunity to network and carry out business deals.