Flexjet celebrates 20 years

Kenn Ricci, Chairman of Flexjet

Flexjets celebrated its 20th birthday after being launched on 15 May 1995.  Bombardier Aerospace launched FlexJet, it is now owned by Kenn Ricci‘s Directional Capital which acquired it in 2013.

In 2015, the company has continued to grow, with fractional sales in the year’s first quarter up 70 percent over 2014.

Kenn Ricci says: “The world around us has changed a great deal in 20 years, and Flexjet has changed with it. We’re bigger, more global and more technology-driven than ever before.”

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“We have a great foundation and a phenomenal heritage, but the best is yet to come. We are building on the progress of our first 20 years by investing billions of dollars in a fleet that is distinctive, technologically advanced and capable of providing direct connections to the global destinations our Owners want to visit. For us, every anniversary is a time to acknowledge the past and celebrate the future,” adds Ricci.

Michael Silvestro, chief executive officer, Flexjet adds: “Twenty years ago, Flexjet was an upstart, providing access to private jet travel for people who previously could only dream of enjoying the speed, efficiency and comfort of flying on private planes. The company has come a long way since then, but we are no less single-minded about offering the newest, most luxurious and most capable fleet in the fractional ownership industry. In this, our 20th anniversary year, we really begin to deliver on the promise of our future.”

Backed by the resources of Directional Aviation, Flexjet is making a major investment in its fleet, with firm orders for 207 new planes and options from Bombardier, Gulfstream and Embraer that could bring the total number of aircraft to 445, an investment that potentially could top $8 billion.

The company will be taking these new aircraft over the next few years. To kick off the 20th anniversary celebrations, Flexjet will begin taking deliveries of its first G450 business jets in June 2015. From there, it will take delivery of the G650 in 2016. Although the waiting list to acquire this plane is upwards of three years, Flexjet is scheduled to take delivery of its first G650 early next year.