While most private aviation companies focus their expansion efforts on mature Western markets, Thomas Flohr has quietly been building dominant positions in what may be the industry’s most promising growth regions: Asia and Africa. The strategy reflects Flohr’s signature approach of identifying an opportunity before it becomes obvious to competitors—and the results suggest VistaJet’s founder has once again correctly anticipated where the market is heading.
The numbers tell a compelling story. VistaJet reported a 91% increase in African membership over the past 12 months, alongside a 58% increase in flight hours in West Africa during the first quarter of 2024. In Asia, the company saw a 69% increase in Global 7500 flight hours during the same period. These aren’t incremental gains—they represent the kind of explosive growth that transforms company trajectories.
But perhaps most importantly, Thomas Flohr’s team achieved these results by positioning themselves in these markets well before demand became apparent to industry observers. While competitors are now scrambling to establish footholds in these regions, Flohr has been building infrastructure, relationships, and operational capabilities for years.
The Africa Strategy: More Than Market Entry
VistaJet’s approach to Africa exemplifies their philosophy of deep market development rather than superficial expansion. The company first entered African markets in 2010, but their recent intensification reflects a sophisticated understanding of the continent’s economic transformation.
Rather than simply announcing their presence through press releases, VistaJet invested in something almost unprecedented in private aviation: face-to-face market development. The company completed its first-ever roadshow and static display in West Africa, bringing aircraft directly to major cities including Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; and Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.
“You have to show respect, go and meet people,” explains Matteo Atti, a senior VistaJet executive. “We cannot believe we already have the right solution. We have multiple solutions, and we need to discover which one fits the needs. And we can only do it by discovering more, in person.”
This collaborative approach contrasts sharply with how most international companies enter African markets—typically through intermediaries or regional partnerships that keep senior executives at arm’s length from actual decision-makers. VistaJet’s global expansion reflects its long-term commitment to the region.
The infrastructure investments back up this commitment. VistaJet now has three dedicated aircraft serving Africa, up from one in 2022, and a global fleet of hundreds more to connect the continent to the world. These aren’t aircraft that occasionally serve the region—they’re permanently positioned to provide the kind of guaranteed availability that has become VistaJet’s signature offering globally.
Reading Africa’s Economic Signals
Thomas Flohr’s African expansion timing reflects his ability to read economic signals ahead of conventional wisdom. While many international businesses still view Africa primarily through risk-management frameworks, Flohr identified the continent’s emerging role in global trade relationships.
“Trade between China and Africa has never been stronger,” Atti notes. “Trade between regions, such as Europe and Asia is going to be even bigger.” This isn’t just about current trade volumes—it’s about positioning for trade relationships that are still developing.
The economic data support VistaJet’s bet. According to the African Development Bank Group, the continent will account for 11 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies in 2024, with real gross domestic product growth projected to average 3.8% and 4.2% in 2024 and 2025, respectively. That’s higher than the global average of 2.9% in 2024 and 3.2% in 2025.
More specifically, the Economic Community of West African States includes five of the 11 African countries expected to have the strongest economic performance: Niger, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Togo. VistaJet’s focus on West Africa positions them directly in this growth corridor.
The Asia Complexity
Thomas Flohr’s Asian strategy required navigating a more complex landscape than the African expansion. While Africa represented largely untapped potential, Asia presented the challenge of existing but fragmented markets with varying regulatory environments and established competitor relationships.
The key insight driving their Asian expansion was recognizing that market disruption creates opportunity for flexible operators. “China has reduced the number of aircraft for the past 10 years by about 30%, but at the same time, there are more individuals who can afford it, so there’s going to be a gap,” Atti explains.
This gap between aircraft availability and demand created precisely the kind of opportunity that VistaJet’s business model addresses most effectively. Rather than requiring clients to purchase or lease aircraft in uncertain regulatory environments, VistaJet could provide guaranteed access through its global fleet.
The company’s expansion across Southeast Asia—including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia—reflects their understanding that Asian economic growth isn’t confined to traditional powerhouse markets. These emerging economies are increasingly focused on global trade, creating demand for reliable international travel options.
“What is happening these days, with trade deals reshaping how businesses are run, is going to have a large impact on how many people need to go around the world, finding new partners, finding new solutions,” Atti observes. VistaJet positioned itself to serve these changing trade patterns before they became fully apparent.
The First-Mover Infrastructure
What distinguishes VistaJet’s expansion from typical market entry strategies is its willingness to build comprehensive infrastructure ahead of demand. This approach requires significant upfront capital and operational commitment, but creates competitive advantages that are difficult for later entrants to replicate.
In both Asia and Africa, VistaJet has established not just aircraft positioning but the full support ecosystem its service model requires. This includes maintenance capabilities, crew training programs, regulatory compliance frameworks, and operational coordination systems that integrate seamlessly with their global network.
The maintenance infrastructure proves particularly crucial. VistaJet began establishing in-house maintenance capabilities well ahead of its expansion, learning from COVID-19 supply chain disruptions that dependence on external providers could compromise service reliability. “We started years ago to establish our own maintenance sites,” Atti explains. This internalization strategy has become especially valuable as global trade relationships face increasing uncertainty.
The Competitive Timing
VistaJet’s expansion timing in both regions reflects their pattern of moving decisively when opportunities present themselves rather than waiting for market conditions to become obviously favorable. This approach requires accepting higher initial risk in exchange for first-mover advantages, a strategic vision that has defined Flohr’s career.
“If we see an opportunity, we try it, we pilot it, and if it doesn’t work, we stop,” Atti explains. “But we don’t wait for it to become so obvious that everybody’s at it. We favor a first mover approach, so where we see an opportunity, we go and take it.”
The results validate this approach. While competitors now recognize the growth potential in both Asia and Africa, VistaJet has already established market positions, operational infrastructure, and client relationships that will be difficult to replicate. Their 91% membership growth in Africa and 69% flight hour increase in Asia represent not just current success but future competitive moats.
The Pattern Recognition
VistaJet’s success in Asia and Africa reflects a broader pattern in their expansion strategy: identifying regions where economic transformation is creating new business travel demands, then building infrastructure to serve those demands before they become obvious to competitors.
This pattern recognition capability stems from their focus on client behavior rather than market analysis. “We are focused on the clients,” Atti explains. “When we see that Africa’s commodities are growing, we realize that the new trading routes with China or India are going to reinforce, then we can deploy more energies there.”
By following their clients’ changing needs rather than industry conventional wisdom, VistaJet consistently positions themselves ahead of market shifts. Their expansion into Asia and Africa represents the latest example of this approach—and given the growth rates they’re achieving, it appears they’ve once again correctly identified where the private aviation industry is heading.
As global trade relationships continue evolving and traditional Western markets face various pressures, VistaJet’s strategic positioning in these high-growth regions may prove to be one of their most strategically significant moves. The company’s approach to emerging market development continues to set industry standards for international expansion.
As Thomas Flohr continues to demonstrate through VistaJet’s strategic expansions, success in private aviation increasingly depends on anticipating market shifts rather than reacting to them—a principle that has served the company well as it builds its presence across two of the world’s most dynamic economic regions.
