Jean-Michel Frank. However, the interiors of most private jets—or, as
manufacturers typically call them, executive or business jets—fall some-
where between basic beige and outright opulence.
With Naples surpassing Fort Lauderdale as having the third busiest
private jet airport in Florida, according to Private Jet Card Comparisons,
plane makers are seeking new ways to boost customer loyalty in South-
west Florida. (West Palm Beach, the eighth busiest private jet airport in
the United States, holds Florida’s No. 1 spot, while Miami topped Naples
by just a few hundred flights in 2018.) One way to attract and retain
clients, industry insiders say, is by providing bespoke interiors that
best reflect a buyer’s taste while staying basic enough to maintain
global appeal and enhance resale value.
Budgets don’t usually hinder business jet clients, especially those
kicking the tires of, say, Bombardier’s $73 million Global 7000, which
can include a full dining room and a multimedia theater. Or the Air-
bus ACJ319neo that costs $101.5 million, and that’s before adding
custom interior touches. But wish lists notwithstanding, guidelines
on safety, weight, and flammability limit what even the wealthiest
buyer can put in a flying metal tube. “Once I was even asked to install
a fireplace in a cabin,” recalls Jay Beever, Embraer’s vice president of
interior design. “I obviously had to say no.”
In addition to Federal Aviation Administration rules, a plane’s
curves play a key role in what’s possible. “I had a customer whoMaterials used in
Embraer’s Bali Spa
Hopper concept
design (left) are
sustainable and
recyclable, and
incorporate no
varnish or leather.
For clients who
want less lavish
interiors for busi-
ness use, such as
on a Phenom 100
(below), industry
experts recom-
mend neutral
colors like those
shown in the entry-
way of a Lineage
1000 (bottom).78 NAPLES ILLUSTRATED