Magnifica Air's all-business approach to luxury air travel is getting ready for take off

When is a private jet not a private jet, but not a commercial flight either? Wade Black thinks he has the answer. He’s the serial airline-industry entrepreneur who has co-founded a new business by the name of Magnifica Air, which aims to tap both those private jet travellers who want to save some money, and those first-class flyers who want to step up to something more luxurious still. When we last checked in, the airline had just revealed its spacious interiors and amenities, with launch now set for spring 2027.

The idea is simple. Magnifica Air will operate new Airbus Corporate Jets – seven by the end of next year, with a planned 25 in all within five years – from private, purpose-built terminals in the US, where dedicated lounges will provide a ‘white glove’ service that means the check in/security process can happen as late as 30 minutes prior to travel.

Each aircraft will carry a maximum of 54 passengers – though Magnifica Air says as few as 40 remains profitable – so there’s plenty of space, though there will be a minimum of two private suites on board as well. On flights of more than three hours, all seats will be lay-flat ones.

‘The idea is to bring the world of private aviation to the scale that these kinds of [large] aircraft can offer,’ explains Wade, who has also served on the boards of Flexjet and the specialist medical airline Seven Bar Aviation. ‘If you look at current marketing data, everything points to a demand for more premium travel. People are demanding positive experiences and want something better than the inefficiency and anxiety of [typical airline travel], even in first class.’

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He calls what Magnifica Air offers ‘private class’, with tickets at between 1.5 and two times the average first-class price, depending on route demand. Each of its aircraft has been outfitted, at a cost of around $20m per aircraft, to correct all of the things that people find bothersome about more standard airline travel, from overhead baggage compartments (there are none) to cramped toilets – on Magnifica Air’s aircraft, the facilities are, says Black, comparable to a ‘high-end residential bathroom’.

The food service, he promises, will be of a very high standard, while Magnifica Air will also be the first airline to offer a new $2m air purification system – reducing the chances of boarding a flight fit and leaving it with some kind of bug.

‘For most people [the incentive to fly with Magnifica Air] will be about stepping up,’ says Black, though not for all: he notes that, despite their public image, many private jets do not offer high interior or service standards, despite their advantages in providing point-to-point travel.

‘People are more service-minded now and are willing to pay for it,’ he adds. ‘The problem for the main carriers is that they are inherently hooked into a hub-and-spoke network [when an airline routes most of its flights though a central main airport to connect passengers travelling to smaller regional ones], so there’s not a lot they can do about the airport experience.’ And he adds that while they may want to devote more space to non-coach/economy seat classes, the cost and logistics of refitting aircraft are prohibitive.

Although Magnifica Air is launching in the US – its inaugural route is between Miami and New York, with other departures set to connect Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas and Houston, with seasonal routes to include the Caribbean and major cultural/sporting events – the company aims, in time, to partner with established carriers for long-haul international flights. ‘I can see the same model working elsewhere [around the world] too,’ Black adds.

MagnificaAir.com, @Magnifica.Air