Summary FlyExclusive is the fifth-largest private jet operator, recording over 55,000 flight hours in 2023. FlyExclusive focuses on the Cessna Citation family but is adding Bombardier Challenger 350s to its fleet. The company is vertically integrated, with in-house maintenance and avionics facilities for efficient fleet management.
Travelers across the world utilize private jets for their ultimate luxury. The ability to fly on a business jet also allows for a unique level of flexibility while traveling. Private jet users can choose the exact time that they want to depart for their destination and are, therefore, not restricted by scheduled commercial flights.
Additionally, travelers onboard private jets have the ability to choose the route to their airport and are also not restricted by scheduled flight paths that may connect through other airports, extending the travel time. Finally, private jet users can operate at a wider range of airports than commercial airliners. Business jets are typically smaller than most commercial airliners, which means that they have the ability to land and take off on shorter runways.
This effectively opens up a wider variety of airports, which may be closer to the traveler's actual intended destination. Including charter and membership providers. Because of the flexibility of flying privately, private jet companies have seen increasing growth over the years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current private jet use has surpassed 2019 levels of use, which was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many charter companies or private jet providers have seen growth throughout the past several years. One of those companies is flyExclusive .
According to Private Jet Card Comparisons , flyExclusive was the fifth-largest private jet operator in 2023. It recorded over 55,000 flight hours throughout the year, allowing the company to reach the top five. Let's take a closer look at what makes flyExclusive so unique as a private jet provider, as well as how the company came to be.
The history of flyExclusive Jim Segrave first founded flyExclusive in 2015, just over nine years ago. Segrave is an experienced pilot, as he has been flying since he was just nineteen. He also holds several types ratings and has accumulated over 10,000 total flight hours.
Previously, Segrave had founded Segrave Aviation in the mid-1990s. Segrave Aviation was another private jet provider that saw success throughout the 2000s. The company was eventually purchased by Delta Air Lines in 2010, which led to the creation of Delta Private Jets after it was merged with Delta AirElite.
In just five years, the company became the world's fifth-largest private jet operator. Segrave left Delta Private Jets shortly after, returning home to Kinston, North Carolina, where he was originally from. After five years, Segrave saw another opportunity to grow a new-age private jet provider and charter company.
This led to the founding of flyExclusive in 2015. In a discussion with Simple Flying, Segrave mentioned that he and his new executive team wanted to focus primarily on flying Cessna Citations. The team found these aircraft to be reliable and had a large maintenance network, which made the family of jets an easy first investment for the new company.
A look at flyExclusive's current offerings Historically, flyExclusive has offered on-demand charters at hourly rates. According to Segrave, over 70% of its current flights depart to destinations within two hours from its base in North Carolina. This allows easy recovery from its dispatched aircraft and much easier return of its aircraft for maintenance at its base.
Currently, fLyExclusive is investing heavily in its fractional ownership and membership programs. Segrave expects the most growth from these areas but still intends to operate hourly flights wholesale to fill in gaps where membership flights are not occurring. This intends to make flyExclusive more efficient and profitable.
One thing that makes flyExclusive so unique is its vertically integrated business model. The company operates an in-house paint booth and interior shop, which allows flyExclusive-owned aircraft to experience rapid improvements. Additionally, most standard maintenance procedures are completed by the company itself, and flyExclusive also operates an in-house avionics shop.
Currently, it is one of five companies that is certified to build Garmin G5000 avionics wire bundles. These facilities have helped the company through its recent fleet Refresh program as the company updates its fleet offerings with the addition of new aircraft. flyExclusive is the second-largest Cessna Citation operator in the world, and it owns the majority of the aircraft it operates.
Cessna Citation aircraft have high pilot availability and a wide range of abilities, which makes this type of aircraft an easy choice for Segrave and his team. Currently, the company operates a fleet of nearly 100 aircraft. Some of the aircraft the company flies include: Cessna Citation Encore Cessna Citation CJ3 Cessna Citation Excel Cessna Citation Sovereign Cessna Citation X However, the company is currently undergoing a fleet refresh program, including taking some of its Cessna Citation X jets out of service.
Segrave and flyExclusive have begun adding Bombardier Challenger 350s to their fleet. These aircraft boast a much higher dispatch availability, more than double the percentage that the Citation X was dispatched at. Overall, the company will replace 37 of its older aircraft, and, specifically, flyExclusive is looking to increase its Bombardier Challenger 350 fleet to over 20 aircraft, as these run twice as much as some of its other super-midsize offerings.
The future of flyExclusive The company has seen success in operating from its North Carolina base and intends to continue the majority of operations from its main location. Kinston, North Carolina, allows short flights throughout the East Coast region all the way down to Florida, which is one of the more popular private aviation markets. Segrave, however, did mention that the company would look to focus on expanding its own fleet.
flyExclusive customers tend to enjoy flying on flyExclusive planes rather than aircraft from third-party providers. Because of this, the company will continue expanding its super-midsize aircraft, most likely additional Bombardier Challenger 350s, in the next 12–18 months. After that, flyExclusive will look to provide larger aircraft with further ranges, such as long-range aircraft or ultra-long-range aircraft.
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