Inside the exclusive world of private jet travel — and what it says about the ultrawealthy
· Business Insider
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Private jet travel is more popular than ever.
In 2025, there were 3.9 million private jet flights — up 4% year over year, according to data from aviation intelligence firm WingX. It shows no signs of slowing, with flights up by more than 4% year-to-date.
The number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals worth more than $30 million also continues to grow. In 2024, that group spent nearly $30 billion on private jets and yachts, according to wealth intelligence firm Altrata.
That surge gives insight into how the uberrich are making and spending their money.
Jet usage has exploded in new financial centers.
"We see global wealth becoming increasingly mobile, with clients living across multiple cities and continents," Ian Moore, the chief commercial officer at private aviation company VistaJet, said in a statement.
The number of private jet flights between the Saudi cities of Jeddah and Riyadh increased 269% last year, according to real estate consultancy Knight Frank's annual wealth report that included data from private aviation company VistaJet. Travel between the Saudi capital and the port city reflects the country's transformation into a global wealth capital.
Private jet travel has also spiked on already popular routes, such as the one between New York and Nantucket, as the megawealthy increasingly split time between multiple homes.
A new high flyer
The new private jet passenger is ditching their own private plane in favor of chartering.
The proliferation of fractional ownership and membership models — think NetJets, Flexjet, and VistaJet — makes private aviation more accessible. It also makes it more private, a plus in the era of private-jet tracking.
"It's not just for people who have made it, it's for people who are making it," Matteo Atti, the CMO of VistaJet's parent company, Vista Global, told Business Insider.
While owning a private jet costs millions a year — that's for maintenance, the crew, fuel, and the like, not the plane itself — flying private through any means is still very expensive. Pricing can vary widely depending on the plane's size and where and when it's flying, but Flexjet's rates start at $6,500 per hour. (It's about triple that on the Gulfstream G700, Flexjet's most elite model.)
Of course, if you are dropping five or six figures on a flight, you often get more than the simple journey from point A to point B. The perks associated with flying private have only gotten more over-the-top. There are facials on board, catering from Nobu, and specialty menus for pets lucky enough to take the trip.
Business Insider has flown on private jets, spoken with executives at private aviation companies, and analyzed the private jets landing at events favored by billionaires, from the Masters tournament to the Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference.
Read on for everything to know about flying private, from a look inside the most exclusive jets to an inside explanation of what people get wrong about the glamour of it all.
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