Flexjet Opens Its First Private Terminal in Europe at Farnborough Airport
Flexjet’s $34 million facility offers private lounges, dedicated security and immigration, and direct access to the airport ramp.
Photos: Courtesy of Flexjet
Flexjet has opened a $34 million private terminal at the United Kingdom’s Farnborough Airport, giving the company’s aircraft owners and guests an exclusive arrival and departure point at one of Europe’s busiest private aviation hubs.
The 22,583-square-foot facility is Flexjet’s first dedicated terminal in Europe and its largest infrastructure project completed outside North America. Located in a new building with direct access to the airport ramp, it brings passenger services, flight operations, crew training, and administrative functions together under one roof.
Unlike a traditional fixed-base operator terminal, which may serve passengers from several private aviation companies, the Farnborough facility is reserved for Flexjet customers and their guests. Flexjet staff oversee the experience, while Farnborough Airport provides dedicated security screening and immigration services.
The opening comes roughly two years after construction began and several years after Flexjet established its first small office in London. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Michael Silvestro, Flexjet’s chief executive officer, recalled the uncertainty that accompanied the company’s early investment in the city.
“We signed that lease in 2018 or 2019, and it was approximately 60 to 70 square meters,” Silvestro said. “I thought to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, what are we doing?’” Today, the company occupies the sprawling new terminal that also serves as its European headquarters and operations center.
“We’ve come a long way,” Silvestro said, describing London as “the gateway for all of the rest of the world” as Flexjet expands farther into Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
The terminal’s interiors, designed by Carver Hain Art + Design, include several spaces that extend the onboard experience onto the ground. Its most distinctive feature is the Flexjet Gulfstream G700 fuselage lounge, a full-size recreation of the cabin found aboard the company’s flagship ultra-long-range aircraft. The space features an interior from Flexjet’s LXi Cabin Collection, including a private bedroom suite.
Elsewhere, the centrally located Owners Bar & Lounge offers cocktails and floor-to-ceiling views of the airfield. Passengers also have access to private meeting rooms and a wine cellar featuring bottles from producers including Marchesi Antinori and Château Cheval Blanc.
In the lobby, a commissioned sculpture by British Canadian artist David Spriggs depicts the cloudlike wingtip vortices created as an aircraft generates lift. Named Aero, the work is intended to evoke both flight and movement through the terminal. Meanwhile, the upper floor houses a new tactical control center for Flexjet’s European operations and an expanded Red Label Academy. The training center follows a finishing-school model and will serve the company’s nearly 300 cabin servers worldwide.
Flexjet incorporated several environmental features into the building, including 138 solar panels expected to generate approximately 37,848 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. A syphonic drainage system collects rainwater for reuse inside the facility.
Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci called the terminal “our most ambitious infrastructure completion to date, beyond our North American headquarters.” “This opening establishes one of the most significant branded luxury environments in private aviation and is a defining moment in Flexjet’s global expansion,” Ricci said.
Farnborough becomes the 10th private terminal in Flexjet’s international network, including locations already operating or under development. The company also has an established terminal at Teterboro Airport outside New York City, giving customers dedicated gateways serving two of the world’s major financial centers.
The Farnborough investment extends beyond the passenger terminal: Flexjet recently opened a separate 38,000-square-foot maintenance, repair, and overhaul hangar at the airport. That facility provides dedicated maintenance for the company’s fleet of more than 350 private jets and helicopters and joins an in-house maintenance network employing more than 1,500 people across 15 destinations.
The opening follows several other major developments for Flexjet. A consortium led by L Catterton, which is affiliated with luxury group LVMH, announced an $800 million investment in the company in July 2025. In July 2026, Flexjet became Formula 1’s official private aviation supplier.
Flexjet operates fractional ownership and leasing programs, along with private helicopter services in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy. Its aircraft fleet includes the Embraer Phenom 300, Bombardier Challenger 3500, and several Gulfstream models, including the G700 recreated inside the new Farnborough lounge.
