| Birth date | 17 March 1960 (age 66) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Switzerland |
| Alma mater | LMU Munich |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder and owner of VistaJet |
| Spouse | Katharina Konečný (divorced) |
Thomas Flohr (born 17 March 1960) is a Swiss billionaire businessman and amateur racing driver.[1] He is the founder and chairman of VistaJet, a private jet charter company.[2]
As of March 2018, Forbes estimated his net worth to be US$2.3 billion.[3][4]
Early life
Flohr was born in Switzerland on 17 March 1960,[5][6] the son of a teacher.[7] He was raised in Erlenbach, Germany.[8] After school he applied unsuccessfully for flight training at Lufthansa.[8] He studied business and political science at LMU Munich.[9]
Career
From 1985[10][11] until the early 2000s, Flohr worked for the US technology firm Comdisco.[8][12] He was President of their European division from 1990 to 1994. He was President of Comdisco's worldwide asset finance division from 1995 to 2000. He would later buy out most of Comdisco's European operations through his Swiss-based group Comprendium Investment, which he still controls.[13]
In 2003, Flohr bought his first Learjet 60.[14]
In 2004, Flohr founded VistaJet and began operations in 2005.[15] In 2016, Flohr was named Entrepreneur of the Year by The Living Legends of Aviation awards.[16] VistaJet officially reached unicorn status in 2017, with a $150 million investment from Rhône Capital, valuing the company’s equity at over $2.5 billion.[17]
In 2020, the U.S. government announced its intentions to seize property belonging to Flohr. The mansion was the subject of scrutiny after its previous owner was implicated in a corruption scandal.[18]
In 2024, Flohr alleged in legal filings that a rival company had launched a smear campaign against Vista. Flohr claims that AirX founder John Matthews used a burner email address with a fabricated identity to send emails to business contacts of VistaJet, bypassing court-ordered confidentiality.
Flohr also alleges that Matthews created a WhatsApp group in March 2023, titled VistaComms, which was used to discuss with colleagues the use of burner emails to share confidential information about VistaJet.[19] In March 2025, the UK High Court judged in favor of Flohr in a fraud claim brought against him by Frontiers Capital and Timothy Horlick, a British financier.[20]
In April 2025, private equity firm RRJ led a $600M investment in Vista. In addition, Vista began a $700M debt raise, which will save them around $160M in debt payments in 2025.[21] As of 2025, VistaJet operates a fleet of around 270 aircraft, including 18 Bombardier Global 7500s. Its North American business now accounts for ~50% of activity. Other markets include the UK, India, and Africa. VistaJet's subscription-based model is currently bringing in around $3 billion annually.[22]
Flohr lives in St. Moritz, Switzerland.[23] Flohr competes in motorsport, starting with the East African Safari Rally, Le Mans 24 Hour and currently in the FIA World Endurance Championship; he is also a sponsor to the Scuderia Ferrari team.[24][25] He collects art, including Jeff Koons, Keith Haring and Sterling Ruby.[7]
Personal life
Flohr was married to Katharina Flohr (née Konečný), formerly creative director of Fabergé and editor of Vogue Russia.[26][27] Together they had one daughter, Nina, who was the former brand director of VistaJet.[28][26] On 1 September 2020, the former Greek royal family announced the engagement of Nina Flohr with Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, fifth child and third son of King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. The couple married in a civil ceremony in St. Moritz on 12 December 2020, with Thomas as one of only two guests in attendance.[29]
Racing record
Career summary
* Season still in progress.
† - As Flohr is a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
* Season still in progress.
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit of Race | Francesco Castellacci Olivier Beretta | Ferrari 488 GTE | GTE Am | 326 | 41st | 12th | |||||||||
| Spirit of Race | Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella | Ferrari 488 GTE | GTE Am | 335 | 26th | 2nd | |||||||||
| Spirit of Race | Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella | Ferrari 488 GTE | GTE Am | 327 | 43rd | 12th | |||||||||
| AF Corse | Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Am | 330 | 39th | 13th | |||||||||
| AF Corse | Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Am | 329 | 39th | 11th | |||||||||
| AF Corse | Nick Cassidy Francesco Castellacci | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Am | 340 | 39th | 6th | |||||||||
| AF Corse | Francesco Castellacci Davide Rigon | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Am | 312 | 31st | 5th | |||||||||
| Vista AF Corse | Francesco Castellacci Davide Rigon | Ferrari 296 GT3 | LMGT3 | 30 | DNF | DNF | |||||||||
| Vista AF Corse | Francesco Castellacci Davide Rigon | Ferrari 296 GT3 | LMGT3 | 192 | DNF | DNF | |||||||||
References
- ^ Speiser, Marcel. "Wild cockfight in private aviation". handelszeitung
- ^ "Executive Committee | VistaJet". VistaJet. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
- ^ Peterson-Withorn, Chase. "Meet The World's 259 Newest Billionaires". forbes.com. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
- ^ "Billionaire Drop-Offs: Tough Year For Superrich As Hundreds Drop Out Of Ranks". forbes.com. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ Meddings, Sabah (16 October 2022). "VistaJet boss Thomas Flohr: My luxury jets are boosting Britain". The Sunday Times
- ^ "Thomas FLOHR Prize list & statistics". lemans.org. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ Reguly, Eric (3 January 2014). "VistaJet's Thomas Flohr: A collector with a view from the clouds". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ Meichtry, Stacy (2012-01-27). "The Jet Set". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ "VistaJet's Thomas Flohr". Business Jet Traveler. 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ "Thomas Flohr, Founder and Chairman at VistaJet". theorg.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ "Thomas Flohr, Senior Vice President, comdisco". vbprofiles.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ "VistaJet's Thomas Flohr: A collector with a view from the clouds". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ Smale, Will (2013-09-16). "Thomas Flohr: The high-flying multi-millionaire". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ "From passenger to start-up pilot". Financial Times. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
- ^ "VistaJet/ Vista Global Holdings". BJT Online
- ^ "The Living Legends of Aviation". VerticalMag.com. MHM Publishing.
- ^ "VistaJet has strongest growth year in 2017". Jet Investor
- ^ "U.S. Out to Seize Jet Entrepreneur's $22 Million Bel Air Mansion - BNN Bloomberg". BNN. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- ^ Meddings, Sabah (13 March 2024). "WhatsApps, Fake Names and an Alleged Conspiracy Against VistaJet". Bloomberg. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Successful Strike-Out Application in Substantial Fraud Claim". Littltonchamber. 31 March 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ "RRJ-Led Group to Invest $600 Million in Private Jet Firm Vista". Bloomberg. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ "Celebrating the Delivery of VistaJet's 10th, and Bombardier's 100th, Global 7500 Business Jet in Another Milestone for the Industry Flagship". Bombardier
- ^ Bhargava, Anjuli (2016-04-29). "Tea with BS: Thomas Flohr". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
- ^ "Private Jet Firm VistaJet Announces Ferrari Partnership". Airways Magazine. 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
- ^ Watkins, Gary (2018-02-07). "Fisichella returns to WEC with Ferrari GTE Am drive". motorsport.com. Retrieved 2018-06-01.[dead link]
- ^ Garnett, Daisy (11 June 2015). "Nina Flohr Is Flying High". Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ David, Mark (10 January 2014). "A Wee Mea Culpa (and Correction)". Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ^ "Introducing Nina Flohr, New-Age Aviation Royalty - Harper's Bazaar Malaysia". harpersbazaar.my. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ "Παντρεύτηκε ο πρίγκιπας Φίλιππος την εκλεκτή της καρδιάς του, Δίδα Nina Flohr". Hello Magazine. 14 December 2020.
- ^ "Thomas Flohr". Motor Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ "Thomas Flohr Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ "Thomas Flohr". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 22 May 2025.