Flexjet unveils new $50 million operations center, HQ

The new operations center will mean better service and reliability for clients of its flight provider brands: Flexjet, Sentient Jet, FXAir, and PrivateFly

Flexjet, Inc. today opened its new global headquarters building and operations center at Cuyahoga County Airport outside Cleveland, Ohio.

The move continues its pathway of eschewing acquiring other flight providers and instead building infrastructure and support for existing operations.

“Flexjet has undergone tremendous growth during the past decade with operations expanding throughout North America, Europe, and beyond,” said Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci (below).

He added, “Our new Global Operations Control Center enables us to manage flights worldwide in a setting that is optimized to the nuances of our unique business, ensuring aircraft owners the highest levels of service and responsiveness. This facility provides a world-class environment to do the work necessary to continue our ascent as the world’s preeminent private aviation provider.”

According to executives, the 51,452-square-foot facility expands the provider’s space to 243,000 square feet, giving it room for future growth and expansion.

Some 670 of the company’s over 4,000 employees are located here.

Better customer experience

For Flexjet, the second-largest fractional operator behind NetJets, its sister Sentient Jet, a leader in jet cards, and FXAir, which is focused on ad hoc charter flights, the new facility provides more integration for a better customer experience.

The operations center features the largest seamless LED screen in the U.S. and the third largest worldwide, 176 feet wide by 19 feet high, with 1,572 individual LED panels.

The screen displays every Flexjet, Sentient Jet, and FXAir flight around the world in real time.

Sentient Jet is headquartered outside of Boston, while FXAir is based in New York City.

The company also has European operations in London, Milan, and Malta, including U.K.-based charter broker PrivateFly and Flexjet Helicopter.

Jason Christensen, vice president of operations, said providing global visibility of all its flight providers in one control room means faster responses when weather, mechanicals, or other issues impact operations, enabling it to give customers recovery flights in a more timely manner.

The facility also houses the company’s primary data center that feeds over 30 locations worldwide, with multiple redundancies.

If, for any reason, the building lost power, the battery backups would switch on to cover the seconds it takes for the generator to kick in.