2021’s 30 Biggest Charter/Fractional Private Jet Companies Ranked (Full Year)

NetJets Fleet

NetJets, Flexjet, Wheels Up, Vista Global hold serve as four largest North American Part 135/Part 91k private jet operators for 2021; FlyExclusive leaps to 5th

The 10 largest private jet companies increased their share of Part 135/91k flight hours to 45.1% from 44.3% in 2020

Solairus (89.3%), Airshare (77.1%), FlyExclusive (76.3%), NetJets (61.4%), Jet Edge (59.9%), and Wheels Up (55.0%) record biggest percentage growth

Read our detailed 2021 Year-in-Review for each of the 10 largest private aviation providers, including flight hour activity since 2019

There was no change among the top four North American private jet holding companies, based on combined Part 135 and Part 91k flight hours. However, Argus TraqPak data shows a new player in the 5th spot. FlyExclusive moved from 10th in 2019 to 8th in 2020. The table below provides a company-by-company ranking for the 30 largest private jet companies in 2021, including flight hours and market share.

Jet Access merges with Eagle Creek Aviation, plans jet card in 2022

private jet runway

Jet Access, ranked 18th on our list of Top 30 operators, is merging with Eagle Creek Aviation

Jet Access is merging with the Eagle Creek Aviation family of companies. On its own, Jet Access ranks as the 18th-largest U.S. operator based on charter and fractional flight hours tracked by Argus. Both companies are based in Indiana.

Jet Edge adds 27 Challenger 300/350/650s, Gulfstream G450s

Jet Edge International

In a market short of supply, Jet Edge International is adding 27 super-midsize and large cabin private jets that will be flying by December. Here’s how…

Charter operator Jet Edge International has used its $150 million war chest from KKR to quietly snap up 11 Bombardier Challenger 300 and 350 super-midsize jets, five Challenger 650s, and 11 large-cabin Gulfstream G450s. It is also finalizing an order for 15 to 20 new super-midsize and large jets. Deliveries will start at the end of next year.

Here’s how much Wheels Up paid for each of its 5 acquisitions

Wheels Up Kenny Dichter

Kenny Dichter and Wheels Up doled out less than $100 million in cash to build the second-largest private jet operator with a $2 billion valuation

When Wheels Up’s acquired 5th-biggest Part 135 charter operator Mountain Aviation in January, it pushed the group past Directional Aviation’s Flexjet as the second-largest for-hire private aircraft operator in the U.S. For Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter, it was a day at the beach compared to another cold New York winter morning in early 2019. At that point, Wheels Up didn’t operate a single aircraft. Founded in 2013, its owned and leased fleet was outsourced to Gama Aviation Signature. Wheels Up was a big brand. Yet, it was merely a marketing organization selling memberships onto what was then mainly a fleet of King Air 350i turboprops.

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