VistaJet has been valued at $2.65 billion following Rhône Capital’s $150 million cash investment into the emerging private aviation company, Chief Operating Officer Nick van der Meer has told The Malta Independent on Sunday, in a feature that will be published this weekend.

Rhône Capital, which is a global private equity firm and has assets totalling ‎$8.5 Billion, will have a $200 million stake in VistaJet due to secondary acquisitions, and a circa 6% to 7% share in the company.

“The investment is not only a fantastic endorsement from an extremely successful company, but will also allow VistaJet to consolidate and accelerate its growth to continue to take further global market share,” van der Meer said. 

The Airline, which is originally from Switzerland, is a leading player in global private aviation, and recently relocated its headquarters to Malta after obtaining an Operating Licence and an Air Operator Certificate from Transport Malta in May 2012.

The investment follows the consistent growth of a company which has almost quadrupled its workforce in Malta from 80 to 265 personnel since it began operations in the country. 

Commenting on the announcement, VistaJet’s Founder and Chairman, Thomas Flohr stated, “With the investment announced today, the equity valuation in excess of $2.5 billion and our fully scalable technology driven business model, VistaJet is ideally placed to take advantage of the opportunities to shape the market as it further develops in the years to come. Rhône fully endorses our philosophy and approach, and will be a valued partner in the next stage of the VistaJet journey.”

 Nick van der Meer will be giving his perspective on the internal workings of Vista Jet and the private-aviation industry in this weekend’s edition of The Malta Independent on Sunday.