FLYING Magazine
One of the most familiar faces in business aviation will take a leading role at Flexjet after the fractional ownership firm acquired London-based aircraft brokerage and advisory firm The Jet Business.
Steve Varsano, who founded The Jet Business in 2011, has built the company—which claims to manage the “world’s first and only street-level corporate aviation showroom” in London—into a viral sensation, racking up 2.5 million followers and more than 1 billion views on TikTok. Following the acquisition, announced by Flexjet on Friday, Varsano will become the new company’s president and oversee “international product innovation and global expansion.”
“The deal extends Flexjet’s capabilities in whole private aircraft sales, procurement and advisory services and brings together its existing FXSolutions brokerage entity and The Jet Business under a single global platform,” Flexjet said in a news release. “The business will continue to operate under The Jet Business brand while benefiting from the expanded resources, infrastructure and global reach of the Flexjet ecosystem.”
The Jet Business clients will also gain access to a new Flexjet offering called Flexjet Solutions, designed for “aircraft operational support, pre-purchase inspections, maintenance infrastructure, AOG response resources and turnkey aircraft management solutions designed to maximise aircraft availability, while minimising owner complexity and downtime.”
Varsano in a statement said the combination will enhance Flexjet’s “global advisory and research capabilities.” The new president himself will be a valuable asset as arguably the world’s most well-known aircraft salesman. Varsano began his career with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and was a board member of Virgin Galactic and XOJET before his Internet fame.
“He will be a major asset as we advance our global reach in aircraft sales, procurement and beyond,” said Flexjet chairman Kenn Ricci.
The Jet Business extends Flexjet’s European footprint. Flexjet has a European headquarters that is only a 10-minute walk from the former’s London showroom, per Corporate Jet Investor. The company said Friday that it plans to open a new private terminal at Farnborough Airport (EGLF) this summer, which would be its largest project outside the U.S.
Varsano and The Jet Business will also support Flexjet’s transition to more modern, large, ultra-long-range private jets. Its fleet comprises the Embraer Phenom 300, Praetor 500 and 600, Bombardier Challenger 350/3500, and Gulfstream G450, G650 and G700, as well as Sikorsky S-76 helicopters.
Varsano will help Flexjet pivot away from older models—such as the 20 Challenger 300s it sold to Baker Aviation last year—and scope out the new additions, such as Otto Aerospace’s laminar-flow Phantom 3500. Per his LinkedIn, The Jet Business’ London showroom features a full-sized Airbus ACJ319 interior mockup “that is visible from the street.”