Prima Air
Prima Air is a California-based private aviation company offering full-aircraft charter services on heavy jets (Gulfstream, Bombardier Global 5000) and a new per-seat scheduled service (Prima Class) on LA-NYC routes, serving HNW individuals, corporate clients, and time-conscious business travelers via private FBO terminals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersOrange, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Prima Air does
Prima Air is a private air charter operator and agent headquartered at John Wayne Airport (Santa Ana, CA) under corporate entity PRIMA AIR, INC., which is controlled by holding company PRIMA AIR GROUP LLC. Founded in 2005, the company runs two distinct service lines: (1) full-aircraft private jet charters using a heavy/long-range fleet that includes Gulfstream G650ER, Gulfstream G650, Gulfstream V, Gulfstream IV SP/IV, and Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft, with select jets equipped with Starlink high-speed in-flight internet; and (2) Prima Class, a per-seat scheduled service launched in January 2025 on the Bombardier Global 5000 connecting Van Nuys (LA) and Teterboro (NYC), with a Las Vegas route announced. The company operates from private Fixed Base Operator (FBO) terminals across SNA, VNY (including a 37,000 sq. ft. operations and maintenance flagship), TEB, Opa Locka, Las Vegas, and Hollywood Burbank, with an Asia-Pacific footprint via the Hong Kong Business Aviation Center. All flight operations are conducted by an affiliated FAA Certified Part 135 air carrier wholly owned by PRIMA AIR GROUP LLC.
The business model is hybrid: a sales-led, quote-based enterprise charter motion targeting HNW individuals and corporate clients, paired with a self-serve, per-seat booking platform for frequent business travelers on scheduled routes. Pricing is quote-driven for charters and not publicly disclosed for seat-based bookings; no membership fees are required for Prima Class. Go-to-market emphasizes content marketing via the Prima Lifestyle blog, website-driven booking and waitlist capture, and organic social channels. Target segments include Time-Conscious Business Travelers (primary), High-Net-Worth Individuals, and Corporate/Enterprise Clients, with pain points centered on commercial airport time waste, lack of in-flight productivity, and the inadequacy of 'semi-private' carriers. In January 2023, the company acquired Pegasus Elite Aviation to scale fleet and operational capacity. No external institutional funding, management team disclosures, named customers, or revenue figures are present in the source data, and the firm reports only 1-10 employees, signaling a lean operating model relative to the scope of its claimed geographic footprint.
Prima Air firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Prima Air
- Legal name
- PRIMA AIR, INC.
- Website
- https://flyprimaair.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Prima Air is a California-based private aviation company offering full-aircraft charter services on heavy jets (Gulfstream, Bombardier Global 5000) and a new per-seat scheduled service (Prima Class) on LA-NYC routes, serving HNW individuals, corporate clients, and time-conscious business travelers via private FBO terminals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Prima Air industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Aviation Services
- NAICS
- Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (48121)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Aviation Brokerages & Trip Marketplace Platforms (THABAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Private Jet Charter (Midsize/Super-Midsize/Heavy Jet) (TLAFABAB), Business Jet Charter (On-Demand) (THABAFAA)
Keywords
Where Prima Air is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orange
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Prima Air business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Full Aircraft Charter Services: On-demand private jet charters where customers book the entire aircraft for complete privacy and schedule flexibility. Service includes elite fleet options, dedicated management, maintenance, and FBO services.
- Per-Seat Bookings on Scheduled Flights: Individual seat sales on pre-scheduled routes (LA-NYC corridor) aboard Bombardier Global 5000 heavy jets. Priced for frequent business travelers without requiring membership fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Full Aircraft Charter - Multiple Fleet Options |
| Per seat | Pay-as-you-go | Prima Class - Individual Seat Bookings |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Prima Air product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Prima Air is a private aviation company operating as an air charter agent that books private jet charters on behalf of clients. It offers two core services: full aircraft private jet charters via a fleet of Gulfstream and Bombardier heavy jets, and "Prima Class" — per-seat bookings on scheduled transcontinental routes (LA-NYC, with Las Vegas planned) operated on a Bombardier Global 5000. The company manages charter, maintenance, and FBO services, with flights operated by an affiliated FAA Certified Part 135 air carrier wholly owned by its parent, PRIMA AIR GROUP LLC.
Product overview
Prima Air is a private aviation company offering two primary service models: individual seat bookings through 'Prima Class' on scheduled transcontinental routes (LA to NYC, with Las Vegas coming soon), and full aircraft private jet charters. The fleet includes Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft for seat-based service and Gulfstream V aircraft for charter operations. The company provides an end-to-end travel experience including FBO services, gourmet catering coordination, and ground transportation. Prima Air operates as an air charter broker with affiliated FAA Part 135 certified air carrier operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Prima Class: A private jet experience sold by the seat, offering individual seat bookings on scheduled private jet routes.
Products and services
- Private Jet Charters On-demand full aircraft private jet charter service for clients who want exclusive use of the entire jet. Includes multi-destination itinerary planning, dedicated management, gourmet in-flight catering coordination, ground transportation, and 24/7 operations support. Fleet spans Gulfstream G650ER, G650, G V, G IV SP, G IV, and Bombardier Global 5000 with Starlink connectivity on select aircraft.
- Prima Class Individual seat booking service on scheduled private jet routes operated aboard Bombardier Global 5000 heavy jets. Targets frequent business travelers and others seeking a private jet experience without membership fees or whole-aircraft costs. Priced at first-class level; routes currently include LA-NYC with Las Vegas upcoming.
Quantifiable outcome
- Arrive 60 minutes before flight vs 2 hours for commercial
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Prima Air
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Prima Air technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Prima Air partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Prima Air competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NetJets: NetJets is the dominant fractional jet ownership and charter operator globally, with a heavy-jet fleet and global network. Competes with Prima Air on the charter side but serves a different ownership model and a much broader customer base.
- VistaJet: VistaJet operates a global fleet of heavy business jets (including Global 7500s) with a membership-based model. Strong overlap with Prima Air on heavy-jet product and increasingly on Asia-Pacific coverage.
- Flexjet: Flexjet offers fractional ownership, jet card, and charter services on a heavy-jet fleet including Gulfstream and Bombardier Global aircraft — directly comparable aircraft types to Prima Air's fleet.
- Wheels Up: Wheels Up offers membership-based private aviation with both charter and scheduled per-seat products. A broader competitor than Prima Air with significantly larger fleet and brand presence in the same target customer segment.
Direct peers
- FlyExclusive: FlyExclusive operates a similar dual charter + Jet Club membership model with a heavy-jet fleet including Gulfstream and Challenger aircraft, competing directly with Prima Air across both on-demand charter and program-based access.
- PrivateFly: PrivateFly is a global private jet charter broker with online booking, comparable to Prima Air's agent/broker function. Both offer on-demand charter booking across multiple aircraft types and FBOs.
- Paramount Business Jets: Paramount Business Jets is a private jet charter broker offering on-demand quoting and booking across heavy-jet fleets. Direct comparability to Prima Air's charter agency function.
- Blade: Blade pioneered per-seat private aviation in major US corridors and offers scheduled seaplane, helicopter, and jet services. Directly comparable to Prima Class for the per-seat model targeting LA-NYC and similar business routes.
- XOJET Aviation: XOJET offers a hybrid model combining on-demand charter with membership-based access on a fleet of heavy and super-mid jets — closely aligned with Prima Air's dual charter and Prima Class offering.
- JSX: JSX operates per-seat semi-private flights using converted ERJ-135 regional jets. While using smaller regional jets versus Prima's heavy jets, JSX directly competes in the "accessible private" category for time-conscious business travelers in major US corridors.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Prima Air social profiles
Digital presencePrima Air financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Prima Air leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Prima Air funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Prima Air M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Prima Air
What does Prima Air do?
Prima Air is a private aviation company operating as an air charter agent that books private jet charters on behalf of clients. It offers two core services: full aircraft private jet charters via a fleet of Gulfstream and Bombardier heavy jets, and "Prima Class" — per-seat bookings on scheduled transcontinental routes (LA-NYC, with Las Vegas planned) operated on a Bombardier Global 5000. The company manages charter, maintenance, and FBO services, with flights operated by an affiliated FAA Certified Part 135 air carrier wholly owned by its parent, PRIMA AIR GROUP LLC.
Is Prima Air a public or private company?
Prima Air is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Prima Air founded?
Prima Air was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Prima Air based?
Prima Air is headquartered in Orange, United States, in the North America region.
How does Prima Air make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Full Aircraft Charter Services are the primary driver. The others are per-Seat Bookings on Scheduled Flights.
Who are Prima Air's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NetJets, VistaJet, Flexjet and Wheels Up. Direct peers are FlyExclusive, PrivateFly, Paramount Business Jets, Blade, XOJET Aviation and JSX.
Does Prima Air have an API?
No public API is recorded for Prima Air.
What industry is Prima Air in?
Prima Air's product category is Private Aviation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THABAFAG, Private Aviation Brokerages & Trip Marketplace Platforms, with a secondary code of TLAFABAB, Private Jet Charter (Midsize/Super-Midsize/Heavy Jet). Its NAICS code is 481211 and its SIC code is 4522.