Flexjet Just Opened a New Private Terminal in London

Flexjet has been busy. Over the past two years alone, the fractional jet provider has gotten a record $800 million investment from LVMH, teamed up with Riva on a nautical-inspired interior for its aircraft, and inked a multiyear partnership with Formula 1. And the company isn’t showing signs of slowing down anytime soon: It just opened a brand-new private terminal at Farnborough Airport, just outside of London, marking its first private space in Europe—and Robb Report was able to check out the new terminal before its official unveiling.

“Perception is reality,” Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci told Robb Report. “There’s no better way for our clients to understand how Flexjet is different from our competitors because the planes are different, the uniforms are different, how you’re greeted is different. All of that, and even [the new terminal], nobody does this.”

The $34 million facility didn’t disappoint. The nearly 22,600-square-foot space is a home base for travelers hopping on one of Flexjet’s 350 private jets and helicopters. It’s meant to reduce the stress of travel and enhance customers’ experience as much as possible while also offering a direct path to one of the world’s financial hubs—a hybrid of hospitality, work, and play.

That sense of calm begins right as you enter the space, which is separate from Farnborough’s current main terminal. The contemporary facility is decked out in warm, hexagonal wood floors and pops of rusty oranges and navy blues, a vision led by Carber Hain Art + Design. A bar is perched at the center, with views of the airfield beyond and rare wines on offer from Cheval Blanc, among other specialty cocktails. Alongside a bespoke sculpture from British Canadian artist David Springs, private meeting spaces, and an expanded training center for Flexjet’s esteemed Red Label Academy for its crew, the star of the space is a full-size model of the Gulfstream G700’s interior, done up in blue and neutral hues for customers to take a peek inside the ultra-long-range jet and its layout. Plus, it’s also home to a new tactical control center and the European headquarters for Flexjet’s operations.

“This is going to be a fixture of the future of international travel,” Ricci says.

Don’t expect to see the same interior at other Flexjet terminals. The company is aiming to have each locale speak for itself, mirroring the design ethos of where it’s located—though all will be unified in terms of the experiences on offer.

“It needs to be Flexjet, but Flexjet in London, in Scottsdale, and one designer wouldn’t be able to capture that sensibility,” Michael Silvestro, Flexjet’s CEO, says.

Much of that Flexjet design language is courtesy of Ricci and Silvestro. The duo is picking the woods, trims, colors, and fabrics aboard their jets, collaborating on every last detail—things that are not all that common for execs to be involved in. That “fanatical attention to detail,” as Ricci calls it, can be seen across the custom interiors crafted for many members of its fleet. It also preserves the loyalty of their customers: “Once you get to know us, you’ll stay with us 80 to 90 percent of the time,” Silvestro says. “No one is having more fun than us.”

I got a glimpse of that passion in real time, thanks to my flight across the pond via one of Flexjet’s Gulfstream G700. My journey began as the sun broke over Manhattan last week, painting the skies in swirling blues and pinks. I boarded the company’s Sikorsky S-76 helicopter at the West Side Heliport and a mere 15 minutes later, I was touching down in New Jersey’s Teterboro—the busiest private aviation terminal in the U.S.—to hop aboard the $85 million ultra-longe-range jet, just added to the Flexjet fleet last year. The plane itself was quiet, so much so it didn’t feel like we were even in the air. Aiding in that sensation is the low cabin altitude that mimics the atmospheric pressure of what you’d experience standing at 2,840 feet (compared to 6,000 feet in an Airbus A380), which helps to mitigate the effect of jet lag. With room for up to 15 passengers, the spacious interiors were bright and airy, with white leather seats and a pattered carpet alongside a fully enclosed bathroom and a bed in the rear and plenty of room to stretch out via its many seats. On our trip, we had two servers onboard, who whipped up dishes such as eggs Benedict and afternoon tea with ease, mirroring the quality of what you’d find at your favorite brunch spot—as well as fun creations based on our destination, such as Earl Grey-inspired mocktails.

In addition to the new terminal, Flexjet has its eyes on the future, wanting to build its footing in the international arena. The goal is to have about 12 to 15 branded FBOs around the world, with London acting as the gateway to Europe; currently, six other locales are under development or in contemplation, according to Silvestro, in addition to the existing terminals in spots like Dallas and White Plains. The company’s current fleet, which is home to more longe-range aircraft than anyone else in the industry, will help them get there (and the brand is the largest operator of Gulfstreams the world over). And since the industry is trending “younger, farther, bigger,” in terms of clients’ age, the distances they want to travel, and the size of their jets, the CEO said, the Farnborough opening couldn’t come at a more pivotal moment.

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Other endeavors in the pipeline include a jet interior by the team at LVMH, who Ricci describes as phenomenal and forward-thinking—so much so that he “had to convince them we can’t put chandeliers in an aircraft” due to regulations. The chairman also says he learned even more about the world of luxury via this partnership with LVHM. One such moment came when planning out yet another collaboration with the high-end conglomerate. The duo is working on an exclusive line of luggage from Louis Vuitton just for Flexjet owners, pieces that are made with private fliers in mind (hanging and soft-sided bags, for one); one item will be gifted when a new customer signs on, with the option to purchase more in the future. At first, the jet company suggested shipping the luggage to their clientele. LV came back and said sending the bags via mail didn’t encapsulate the luxury experience, Ricci explains; now, the maison will instead be extending an invite for fliers to come into their store to select the pieces, closing the space to the public for their appointment—a level of attention to detail that’s just par for the course at Flexjet.