2021 In Review
With the hustle and bustle of the holidays and all the year-end festivities, it’s often difficult to take a moment, reflect and put into perspective how far we’ve come since the beginning of this year. Despite what the talking heads on the news might tell you, 2021 has been a year of incredible resolve and advancement, not only within our organization, but also in our community and the business aviation industry. At Private Jets Inc. and our subsidiary brands, JetSet FBO and Thunder Wings Aircraft Sales, our team members have worked tirelessly to adapt, innovate and improve our services and offerings over the last year. Looking back, I’d like to take a moment to shine a light on some of our triumphs and achievements of 2021.
SETTING RECORDS
As the world returned to a semblance of normalcy in 2021, so did business and private aviation. Following the trends of the industry, Private Jets Inc. flew more hours to more destinations than any other single year in our organization’s history. For many in the industry, with this demand came many challenges. But while others scaled back jet card programs and stopped accepting new customers altogether, we at Private Jets Inc. are proud to have welcomed and served a record number of new and returning clientele. This isn’t possible without the tireless, around-the-clock efforts of our team members. For that, I can’t say thank you enough.
SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
One of the pillars of our business is to be strong stewards of the communities in which we live and work, and 2021 brought the opportunity to serve some remarkable organizations doing even more remarkable work. In June, we partnered with the Brandon Weeden Foundation’s Swing From The Heart Golf Challenge, directly benefiting Oklahoma Children’s Hospital. The Brandon Weeden Foundation has raised more than $1 million to endow a chair in pediatric cardiac surgery, and continues to support research opportunities and resources at Children’s.
In December, JetSet – our flagship FBO – created a campaign to “Fly Away Hunger,” accepting food donations to support the BritVil Community Food Pantry in Oklahoma City. Through the donations of our team members, clients and other generous individuals, we were able to send more than 300 pounds of food to the BritVil Community Food Pantry so that families in Oklahoma City would have the chance to enjoy a hearty meal during the holidays.
Serving our communities is of paramount importance to us, and we look forward to growing our relationships with these organizations and more in 2022.
EXPANDING OUR OFFERINGS
With an intense surge in demand across every facet of business and private aviation, we have recognized and address the need for more aircraft, more pilots and more opportunities to serve our clients. Our fleet has never been larger than it is heading into 2022, as we most recently added two Learjet 75s to our certificate. Those, along with the addition of two Legacy 600s earlier in the year allows us to address the growing demand for mid-to-heavy jet options.
At JetSet FBO – our Bethany, Oklahoma-based headquarters – we’ve broken ground on Phase Two of our master plan, which will effectively double our hangar space. This, coupled with our state-of-the-art FBO technologies, has revolutionized the idea of the full-service FBO and will allow us to continue serving our business and private aviation customers, both flying into and out of one of the fastest-growing cities in America.
MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER
As we continue to recover from 2020 and focus on the future, we recognize that 2021 was not without its challenges. Record demand strained aircraft, pilot and crew availability. Health and safety continued to be of paramount importance. Throughout the ups-and-downs, our team has adapted with grit and flexibility, and I am so thankful for those who I get to serve alongside every day.
If you’ve traveled with us in the past or are considering it in the new year, I am so grateful for your confidence in our team and assure you that we will continue to offer an unrivaled bespoke experience each time you fly with Private Jets Inc.
To the skies in 2022.
Eric Wells
President, Private Jets Inc.