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Steve Varsano is the founder and CEO of The Jet Business, the world’s first street-level showroom for private jets located in London’s Mayfair district. He has sold hundreds of aircraft worth billions of dollars over a 40-year career in corporate aviation.
Steve Varsano’s story starts in New York City, where a single flight at age 14 changed everything. A friend’s brother took him up in a four-seater Cessna, and Varsano found what he’d been looking for. He wanted to fly.
Most teenagers would have waited. Varsano didn’t. He took a job washing dishes at a beauty salon to pay for flying lessons. He soloed at 16. He earned his pilot’s license at 17. That combination of passion and work ethic became his trademark.
After high school, Varsano enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. He graduated in 1977 with a degree in Aeronautical Studies. During his time there, he completed internships at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport and the American Association of Airport Executives in Washington, D.C. Those connections opened doors into the aviation industry he’d been chasing since that first flight.
Varsano’s first job after graduation was with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association in Washington. He managed the trade group’s statistics, forecasting, and airport committees. The role gave him an inside view of the industry, but it wasn’t sales yet.
That changed in 1980 when he joined U.S. Aircraft Sales in McLean, Virginia. He started in research, tracking sales leads and qualifying prospects. Then he moved into sales. He sold his first jet at 23. The experience taught him how private aviation worked—and how much room there was to improve the process.
In 1985, Varsano became national remarketing manager at CMI Aircraft Corp. in Michigan. Two years later, one of his clients, Nelson Peltz’s Triangle Industries, offered him a different path. Varsano left brokerage to become President of Triangle Aircraft Services, managing the company’s fleet. He later held positions as Vice President at CJI Industries and Avery Coal, then Senior Vice President at Triarc Companies, and Head of Business Development at Yum! Brands.
Those corporate roles gave him exposure to how major companies think about aircraft ownership. But Varsano wanted to get back to sales. In 1993, he founded the Atlantis 2000 Group, a consulting firm focused on mergers, acquisitions, and investments across real estate, aviation, and restaurant sectors. The firm allowed him to stay connected to multiple industries while planning his next move.
In 2011, Varsano opened The Jet Business on Park Lane in London’s Knightsbridge district. The concept was simple: bring private jet sales out of airports and into a retail environment. No one had done it before because it seemed unnecessary. Traditional brokers met clients at FBOs or flew to them. Why build a showroom?
Varsano saw the problem differently. Buying a private jet was intimidating, especially for first-time buyers. The process was opaque. Clients didn’t know what questions to ask. Information was scattered across manufacturers, brokers, and owners. Even successful billionaires felt uncomfortable admitting they didn’t understand the options.
He chose London for strategic reasons. The city attracts ultra-high-net-worth individuals from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. Time zones work in his favor—he can reach clients across multiple continents during business hours. And wealthy buyers already spend time in Knightsbridge and Mayfair, so the location made sense.
The investment was substantial. While Varsano won’t disclose exact figures, he’s said he could have bought a nice jet for what he spent on the showroom. Industry sources suggest it was one of London’s biggest interior design projects in 2011. He risked his own money on an unproven idea.
The first six months nearly broke him. Varsano was trying to build a brand from scratch in an industry built on relationships and referrals. His existing client base dropped because he was distracted by the showroom. New clients weren’t walking through the door yet. The concept had to prove itself or fail.
But the showroom design started attracting attention. Varsano installed a full-size Airbus Corporate Jet ACJ319 interior mockup in the street-facing window. Pedestrians and double-decker buses pass by 60 feet of authentic aircraft fuselage, complete with leather seating, polished wood, chrome fixtures, and Bentley-quilted lounge chairs. The windows can display moving clouds to simulate flight. It’s impossible to miss.
Inside, the showroom features 97 screens connected to a custom iPad application. Varsano hired a full-time developer to build software that gives clients access to one of the most detailed jet databases in the world. They can compare specifications, view schematics, watch videos, read brand histories, and see real-time market statistics. The system pulls data from a global inventory that The Jet Business monitors constantly.
All windows can be set to opaque for client privacy. There’s a private entrance from an underground car park for VIPs who prefer discretion. Varsano’s office sits inside what would be the bedroom section of the ACJ319 mockup.
Varsano’s approach breaks from traditional brokerage in a key way: he educates clients before selling to them. Most brokers pitch specific aircraft based on commission potential. Varsano shows buyers the entire market, then helps them decide what fits their needs.
The sales and research team monitors aircraft ownership databases worldwide. They track which jets are for sale, who owns them, how long they’ve been listed, and what price movements look like. That global view—enhanced by London’s geographic position—gives The Jet Business an information advantage over U.S.-based competitors focused mainly on domestic inventory.
When clients visit the showroom, they don’t get a hard sell. Instead, Varsano walks them through the decision-making framework. What routes will you fly? How many passengers typically? Do you need a transatlantic range? What’s your annual flight hour estimate? The iPad system instantly filters the database to show suitable options.
Clients can compare aircraft side-by-side on the video wall. They see cabin layouts, performance data, operating costs, and resale value projections. Varsano encourages them to ask questions—even ones they think might sound uninformed. He tells them what questions they should be asking, which builds confidence.
For first-time buyers, this transparency matters. These are people who’ve succeeded in their fields by making informed decisions. Suddenly, they’re considering a $20 million to $70 million purchase in an industry they don’t understand. The showroom gives them the information access they’re used to having.
Varsano’s client list includes royalty, Fortune 500 CEOs, celebrities, and entrepreneurs. These are people accustomed to getting what they want, often regardless of price. But that doesn’t make the sale easy.
He’s learned that even when a client can afford any jet on the market, they’ll instinctively say “that’s too much” when he names a price. They didn’t become successful by accepting the first number. Varsano’s job is to show them why the aircraft represents the right choice across every dimension—performance, reliability, resale value, operating costs, and how it matches their specific mission profile.
The buyer demographic has shifted over Varsano’s 40-year career. Twenty-five years ago, the average private jet buyer was between 55 and 70 years old. Today, it’s closer to 40 to 60. Younger entrepreneurs, tech founders, and executives are entering the market earlier. They’re more comfortable with technology, which makes The Jet Business’s digital approach appealing.
Corporate buyer profiles have changed, too. It’s not just established Fortune 500 companies anymore. Fast-growing startups, private equity firms, and family offices are acquiring aircraft. Many of these buyers are purchasing large-cabin, ultra-long-range jets as their first aircraft, skipping the traditional progression from turboprops to small jets to larger planes.
This creates a knowledge gap. First-time buyers need education more than sales pressure. Varsano’s model addresses that. He tells clients what they should negotiate on, what matters in pre-purchase inspections, and what hidden costs to expect. That honesty builds trust—and trust converts to sales.
In recent years, Varsano has become an unexpected social media presence. His content has generated over 1 billion views across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn. His Instagram account has more than 188,000 followers.
The content strategy comes from a young production team at TiltedNeedle. They create short-form videos that explain private aviation in digestible ways. Varsano discusses how jets are priced, what clients look for, behind-the-scenes showroom tours, and industry trends. The videos are direct, informative, and avoid the overly polished corporate feel that would turn off social audiences.
Why does aviation content perform well with younger viewers? Varsano believes it’s because private jets represent aspiration and mystery. Most people will never fly private, but they’re curious about how it works. Who buys these planes? How much do they cost? What’s it like inside? His videos answer those questions without the gatekeeping that traditionally surrounds luxury industries.
There’s also a strategic purpose. Varsano wants to introduce young people to aviation careers. He’s hosted interns at The Jet Business, teaching them about aircraft markets, research methods, and sales complexities. He looks for candidates with a genuine passion for aviation—people who already have it “flowing in their arteries,” as he puts it. The learning curve accelerates when interest is intrinsic.
Through social media and his role on the Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees, Varsano actively works to create pathways for underprivileged youth into aviation. Those opportunities didn’t exist for many when he was starting, and he’s determined to change that.
In 2024, Varsano received the Living Legends of Aviation Kenn Ricci Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award at the fourth annual European ceremony. The award honors individuals who’ve left a lasting mark on aviation. Previous recipients include Jeff Bezos, Dan Drohan, and Larry Mendelson.
Kenn Ricci, founder of Directional Aviation Capital and chairman of Flexjet, presented the award. In his remarks, Ricci highlighted Varsano’s ability to demystify private aviation for broader audiences and his efforts to introduce hundreds of millions of young people to the industry through social media.
Varsano has served on the boards of Virgin Galactic and XOJET, a private jet charter company. He’s also a trustee at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, his alma mater. The university credits him with raising the profile of aviation across Europe and connecting students to industry opportunities.
Media coverage of The Jet Business has been extensive. The New York Times, BBC, Forbes, and The Sunday Times have all profiled Varsano and his showroom concept. He’s frequently sought for commentary on business aviation trends, market conditions, and the future of private flight.
The attention matters because it validates the showroom model. When Varsano opened in 2011, competitors questioned whether it was necessary. Now, more than a decade later, no one else has replicated it at scale. The Jet Business remains the world’s only street-level corporate aviation showroom.
Varsano sees private aviation heading toward new technology, particularly eVTOLs—electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, sometimes called flying cars or passenger-carrying drones. He believes they’ll be more cost-effective and efficient than traditional helicopters for short-distance urban transport. The technology isn’t mainstream yet, but Varsano is tracking it closely.
Current market conditions favor sellers. Demand for large-cabin and ultra-long-range jets remains strong, driven by corporate buyers and wealthy individuals who value time. Post-pandemic, more people experienced private aviation through charter and fractional ownership, then decided to purchase outright. That’s created sustained demand.
The Jet Business continues to differentiate through information transparency and client education. While other brokers guard their inventory or push specific manufacturers based on relationships, Varsano’s team shows clients everything available globally. The data-driven approach resonates with analytically minded buyers.
Technology integration will keep advancing. The iPad application and video wall system get regular updates. Varsano wants clients to have the same information he does—market trends, pricing data, aircraft availability, and delivery timelines. That level of transparency is still rare in luxury sales, where information asymmetry traditionally favored sellers.
What makes The Jet Business work isn’t just the showroom concept. It’s Varsano’s belief that educating clients serves them better than high-pressure sales tactics. He’s spent 40 years in an industry where relationships and discretion rule. Then he built something completely different—a retail experience designed to demystify the process.
From washing dishes to flying fund-raising lessons to selling jets worth $70 million, Varsano’s path hasn’t been conventional. But that’s precisely why it’s worked. He saw a gap in how private aviation served buyers, took a substantial financial risk to address it, and created something the industry had never seen before.
The showroom on Park Lane remains a statement: private jets don’t have to be sold in the shadows. They can be displayed on a busy London street, with transparent pricing and accessible information. That approach changed how an entire industry thinks about sales.
And for someone who first fell in love with flying at age 14, Varsano’s still finding ways to share that passion—whether it’s with a billionaire buyer or a teenager discovering aviation through a TikTok video.
