The freedom to land closer to your destination.

An interview with Nicolas Lohn, founder and Managing Director of the Lohn Aviation Group and an active captain, about exceptional destinations, personal service and when owning an aircraft truly makes sense.

Mr Lohn, when people think of private aviation, they tend to picture large, luxurious jets. Does that reflect the full range of what you offer?

Only partly. Modern long-range jets offer exceptional comfort and connect continents without a stopover. But the size of an aircraft tells you nothing about how well it suits a particular journey.

As an active pilot, I regularly find that a smaller aircraft can be the better choice for our guests.

What does that mean in practice?

Take a weekend trip to Kitzbühel. Guests travelling by conventional private jet land in Innsbruck or Salzburg and then continue by car. With a suitable aircraft, however, we can land directly in St. Johann. From there, Kitzbühel is only around ten to fifteen minutes away.

Or take Venice. Instead of flying into Marco Polo International Airport, we can land at Venice-Lido airfield. From there, a water taxi takes you to the historic centre in just a few minutes – complete with a spectacular approach over the lagoon.

Another example is Courchevel in the French Alps. Its altiport is located right in the ski resort, and its short, steep runway places particular demands on both aircraft and crew.

These possibilities fundamentally change the travel experience. Our guests spend less time on transfers and have more time for the things they actually travelled for.

Presumably, that requires a very specialised fleet?

Above all, it requires a versatile one. We deliberately offer several aircraft categories. Our fleet has an average age of just four years and includes long-range jets such as the Falcon 7X and 8X, business jets such as the Pilatus PC-24 and Citation XLS+, and turboprop aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-12 NGX and PRO. We also have smaller aircraft, including the Diamond DA62.

Each type has its strengths: the Falcon 8X is suited to intercontinental travel, while the PC-12 PRO opens up access to small airfields with short or sometimes unpaved runways.

You founded Lohn Aviation 16 years ago. What has changed since then?

A great deal. I started out practically on my own with a DA40. Today, we look after private clients from around the world, businesses, and members of governments and royal families.

What has remained unchanged is our approach to service. We quite deliberately say: we do not have passengers; we have guests.

We want to get to know our guests, understand their wishes and build long-term relationships so that they have as little as possible to organise themselves. Whether it is a hotel, yacht, villa or restaurant, we can also take care of the details beyond the flight itself.

What do your guests value most?

Reliability, discretion and being able to reach us personally.

Our guests often have tight schedules. They rightly expect things to work and someone to take personal care of their requests. Often, it is the small details that make for good service, rather than a spectacular show.

Good service also means honest advice. If a smaller aircraft or a different solution is a better fit, we say so. Trust is not built by always selling the most expensive product.

You also support clients in buying and operating their own aircraft. When does owning an aircraft make sense?

That is a very individual decision, involving far more than annual flying hours.

Actual usage plays an important role, as do personal requirements. Ownership can be an attractive option for those who regularly need to travel at very short notice or want an aircraft available for their long-term use on their own terms. From around 100 to 200 flying hours a year, depending on the aircraft type, it is worth taking a closer look at the different ownership and usage models.

Our clients have a dedicated point of contact who supports them from the initial considerations through aircraft selection and purchase, the right financing or leasing solution, ongoing operations and an eventual sale.

Sometimes, our recommendation is quite deliberately not to buy an aircraft. If chartering or another usage model makes more financial sense, we see it as our responsibility to say so openly.

What, for you personally, makes private aviation so fascinating?

The freedom to shape journeys around your own wishes, reach exceptional places and, above all, gain time. Arriving at the airport ten minutes before departure and walking straight to the aircraft is true luxury to me.

What fascinates me is not just flying itself, but above all the possibilities it opens up. Whether it is a business trip with several appointments in a single day or a spontaneous weekend in the Alps, private aviation creates a degree of freedom that would otherwise be almost impossible. Ultimately, it is not about where we fly our guests, but about the freedom we make possible for them.