iFly UK

What iFly UK does

iFly UK operates indoor skydiving experiences across five vertical wind tunnel facilities in the United Kingdom: Basingstoke (the original site), Manchester, Milton Keynes, London at The O2, and Birmingham at the NEC. The company uses SkyVenture proprietary vertical wind tunnel technology that recirculates air at speeds exceeding 120 mph to simulate freefall in a controlled indoor environment, enabling participation for flyers aged 3 to 103 and including people with disabilities through a dedicated All-Abilities programme. Instructors are certified under the International Bodyflight Association (IBA), which also governs competitive bodyflight disciplines hosted at iFLY venues.

The core product is the indoor skydiving flight experience, sold through multiple tiers ranging from £29.99 entry-level school packages to £849.99 premium exclusive private group bookings, plus VR-enhanced variants. Supporting offerings include gift vouchers (valid 9 months across all UK locations), corporate events and venue hire (notably conference and meeting rooms at London O2), school STEM sessions with a Physics of Flight curriculum, and the iFLY Club monthly subscription membership introduced in April 2025 with international tunnel access to Australia and Canada. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the company website, phone reservations, and walk-ins, supplemented by a Tesco Clubcard Boost loyalty partnership and a dedicated corporate sales team.

The business model combines transactional experience sales (one-time purchases and gift vouchers) with an emerging recurring subscription revenue stream through iFLY Club. Customer segments span first-time flyers, families, corporate clients, schools, accessibility-focused groups, and experienced pro-flyers, with 230,000+ flyers served annually. Strategic priorities evident from recent activity include geographic expansion (Birmingham 2026), subscription monetisation of repeat flyers, and product differentiation through VR and STEM educational offerings, while maintaining the global iFLY brand association across 100+ worldwide locations.

Name

iFly UK

Legal name

iFLY UK

Website

https://iflyworld.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

iFly UK operates five indoor skydiving wind tunnel facilities across the UK, serving 230,000+ flyers annually with vertical wind tunnel flight experiences, VR packages, corporate events, school STEM sessions, and a subscription membership programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indoor Skydiving / Adventure Entertainment

NAICS

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (48121), Flight Training (611512)

SIC

Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Skydiving Centers & Drop Zones (Tandem, AFF Training) (THAAAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Skydiving Experiences (Tandem, AFF, Scenic Jumps) (THAAAMAA), Paragliding, Skydiving & Airborne Adventure Sports (THAJABAJ)

Keywords

• Indoor skydiving
• Vertical wind tunnel
• Experiential entertainment
• Adventure activities
• Corporate team building

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Flight Experience Sales: Core revenue stream from selling indoor skydiving flight experiences directly to consumers. Packages range from single taster flights to premium multi-flight experiences. Transactions include a booking fee applied once per order. Revenue generated through online booking and phone reservations.
2. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers valid for 9 months at all UK locations. Vouchers available in standard packages (Discovery, VR Discovery, Adventure, VR Adventure, Groups) or customizable cash vouchers. Digital delivery with instant email delivery.
3. iFLY Club Memberships: Monthly subscription memberships (Club 10, Club 10+, Club 30+) providing regular flight time through 5-flight monthly vouchers, coaching benefits, discounts on branded merchandise, free helmet rentals, and international tunnel access. Recurring revenue model with tiered benefits.
4. Corporate Events and Venue Hire: Revenue from corporate team building events, private bookings, conference room hire (London O2 location), and meeting room facilities. Includes flight packages combined with venue hire at competitive rates.
5. Professional Flyer Sessions: Block time purchases for experienced/professional flyers seeking extended tunnel time. Sold in 5-minute increments with coaching available as optional add-on service.
6. Tesco Clubcard Partnership: Partnership revenue through Tesco Clubcard Boost scheme, allowing Clubcard points to be exchanged for iFly flight experiences. Operates through single-use reward codes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

iFly UK operates indoor skydiving experiences using vertical wind tunnel technology across five UK locations. The company sells flight experience packages (taster through to multi-flight adventure packages), gift vouchers, corporate and school events, and a recurring iFLY Club membership. All experiences are delivered via SkyVenture-powered recirculating wind tunnels that simulate freefall skydiving without requiring an aircraft or parachute.

Product overview

iFLY UK operates as a single-experience leisure company offering vertical wind tunnel indoor skydiving across five UK locations. The core product is the indoor skydiving experience itself, with multiple package tiers (First-Time Flyer, Group/Party, Corporate, School STEM, Return Flyer, Pro-Flyer) that share the same wind tunnel infrastructure but target different customer segments. Supporting offerings include iFLY Club membership (subscription), gift vouchers, VR add-ons, and the All-Abilities Programme. The company does not offer a multi-module platform architecture; rather, it provides variations of its core experience product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iFLY Club: Monthly membership programme for regular indoor skydiving enthusiasts providing flight vouchers, coaching, exclusive deals, and international tunnel access.

Products and services

• Indoor Skydiving Experience Vertical wind tunnel indoor skydiving experience simulating freefall without requiring a plane or parachute. Guests float on air at speeds up to 120mph in a controlled environment with professional instruction.
• First-Time Flyer Packages Introductory flight packages for first-time flyers including the 1-flight taster, 2-flight discovery and 4-flight adventure packages, with optional VR add-ons.
• Group and Party Packages Shared flight experiences for groups including discovery flights, essential exclusive (private session for up to 13 flyers) and premium exclusive packages with high flights, photos, videos, group flex and catering options.
• Corporate Events and Team Building Corporate event packages including flight experiences, conference and meeting room hire at the London O2 location, private events and team building activities for organisations.
• School STEM Sessions Educational school sessions combining indoor skydiving with physics of flight curriculum, including a digital pre-flight STEM briefing, flight time and debrief for up to 13 students per session.
• iFLY Club Membership Monthly membership programme for regular flyers offering discounted flight time, coaching benefits, exclusive events and international tunnel access. Three tiers: Club 10, Club 10+ and Club 30+.
• Return Flyer Packages Flight packages for experienced returning flyers including 4-flight and 10-flight options for skill progression and IBA level certification.
• Pro-Flyer Packages Advanced flight time blocks for experienced flyers including 5-minute blocks up to 1 hour sessions, with coaching available at additional cost.
• Gift Vouchers Digital gift vouchers valid for 9 months at all UK locations, available as specific experience packages (Discovery, VR, Adventure, Groups) or flexible cash vouchers with instant email delivery.
• VR Skydiving Experience Virtual reality add-on combining indoor skydiving with simulated real skydive experiences over iconic locations (e.g., Alpine BASE jumps) using full-face VR helmets. Suitable for ages 10+.
• All-Abilities Programme Specialised indoor skydiving sessions for people with disabilities, including tailored support, one-on-one instruction and dedicated events for those with physical or cognitive challenges.
• iFLY Birmingham at the NEC iFLY Birmingham opened at the NEC as the 5th UK iFLY location, providing the full indoor skydiving experience including first-time flyer packages, return flyer sessions, group bookings and pro-flyer block time near Resorts World and the M42.

Quantifiable outcome

• 230,000+ flyers experience indoor skydiving annually across UK locations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• British Indoor Skydiving Association (BISA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2022Co-hosted British Indoor Skydiving Nationals 2022 at iFLY Basingstoke. Britain's top flyers competed across eight disciplines including Freestyle, Dynamic, and Formation Skydiving.
• Studio 34minorOthers · 8 November 2022Headline sponsor for British Indoor Skydiving Nationals 2022. High-flying team of marketing specialists providing marketing support for the event.
• FuseMetrixminorOthers · 8 November 2022Event sponsor for British Indoor Skydiving Nationals 2022. Provider of leisure booking systems supporting the event operations.
• Tesco Clubcard BoostcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic retail partnership allowing Tesco Clubcard holders to exchange loyalty points for iFly indoor skydiving experiences. Clubcard Reward codes are single-use and valid for selected indoor skydiving experiences. Multiple packages and locations available through the scheme.
• International Bodyflight Association (IBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoverning body for indoor skydiving and bodyflight sport. iFly works in close partnership with IBA which provides the framework shaping indoor skydiving into an elite competitive field. IBA establishes competition rules, judging criteria, standardized disciplines, and athlete development programs.
• SkyVenturecoreTechnology or IntegrationPioneering technology partner for vertical wind tunnel engineering. SkyVenture's innovations include laminar airflow technology, advanced flight chamber design, and real-time control systems. This partnership enables iFly's ability to deliver consistent, world-class indoor skydiving experiences.
• Pilgrim BanditsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partnership supporting veterans with injuries. Al Hodgson, iFly inclusivity ambassador and double amputee, works with Pilgrim Bandits to help veterans overcome injuries through adrenaline-fuelled adventures.
• iFLY AustraliaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational franchise partner providing iFLY Club members with access to Australian tunnel locations as part of their membership benefits.
• iFLY CanadaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational franchise partner providing iFLY Club members with access to Canadian tunnel locations as part of their membership benefits.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dive Pacific/Nzone iFLY Australasia: NZONE (and similar Australasian indoor skydiving operators) offer the same vertical wind tunnel experiences to first-time and experienced flyers. It is a direct peer in the broader iFLY international franchise network and useful for cross-checking ticket economics.
• FlyStation (Russia/Malaysia/etc.): FlyStation operates large-format indoor skydiving tunnels in Russia, Malaysia and other markets using similar recirculating wind tunnel technology. It is a global direct peer competing for the same experiential customer, often at higher facility scale.
• Airkix (now closed/rebranded): Airkix operated indoor skydiving wind tunnels in the UK (originally Milton Keynes, Manchester) before its acquisition by iFLY. It is the direct legacy competitor in the UK indoor skydiving market and is the most relevant historical peer for measuring UK competitive dynamics and acquisition precedent.
• Bodyflight London: Bodyflight is an indoor skydiving tunnel operator in the UK catering to experienced and professional flyers, with IBA-affiliated coaching. It directly competes with iFLY UK for the returning/pro-flyer customer segment.

Broad incumbents

• Alton Towers (Merlin Entertainments): Alton Towers is a UK theme park operator drawing on the same discretionary family/entertainment spend that iFLY UK targets. It is a broad incumbent competitor in UK out-of-home leisure, particularly for family day-out occasions.
• British Skydiving (British Parachute Association): British Skydiving is the UK governing body for outdoor skydiving and parachuting, and a broader incumbent that the indoor sector (including iFLY UK) trains into and from. It overlaps in customer funnel but is not a direct competitor.
• iFLY (US/global brand): iFLY's larger US/global parent network operates 80+ indoor skydiving locations worldwide using the same SkyVenture wind tunnel technology. It is the broader brand ecosystem of which iFLY UK is part, and the most directly comparable operator globally in terms of offering, customer segments, and technology.

Others

• SkyVenture International: SkyVenture is iFLY UK's core technology partner, manufacturing the vertical wind tunnels used in iFLY sites globally. It is the upstream supplier and co-developer of the laminar airflow technology central to the iFLY experience.

Emerging players

• Furyu/Other Entertainment Experience Operators: Smaller or newer indoor skydiving, VR-based flight experiences, and immersive entertainment centres in the UK (e.g., select regional operators or VR-only competitors). They represent emerging adjacent players that could nibble at iFLY's UK catchment.

Regional players

• Windobona Indoor Skydiving Berlin: Windobona is a leading European indoor skydiving operator in Germany operating wind tunnel experiences for both first-time and pro flyers. It is a regional peer demonstrating comparable European demand and pricing dynamics outside the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/iflyukindoorskydiving
• Instagraminstagram.com/iflyuk
• Xx.com/iFLY_UK

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about iFly UK