Riva Volare: Flexjet X Ferretti Group
Where Sky Meets Sea: Inside the Riva Volare – The Design-Led Fusion of Private Aviation and Iconic Italian Yachting Heritage
A New Icon for Global Luxury Travel: Flexjet and the Ferretti Group Introduce a Seamless Design Language from Ocean to Altitude
Flexjet, the global private aviation leader, has partnered with the Ferretti Group to launch Riva Volare, a custom-built aircraft and helicopter interior inspired by the iconic style of Riva motoryachts. Designed for the world’s most discerning travellers, the collaboration merges Italian craftsmanship with advanced aviation innovation, creating a travel experience that prioritises performance, emotion and aesthetic depth. Installed aboard a Gulfstream G650 and two Sikorsky S-76 helicopters, Riva Volare represents a new chapter in global luxury mobility, blending marine heritage with high-altitude sophistication for international business and leisure travellers.
Design Without Boundaries: The Ferretti Group’s DNA Flows from Open Water to Open Sky
Drawing on the cultural resonance of Riva’s design history—from the glamorous Aquarama of the 1960s to the contemporary Aquariva—Riva Volare translates signature nautical elements into a tactile, architectural cabin environment. Soft, handstitched leather seating is piped with the brand’s unmistakable aquamarine shade, and discreet Riva embroidery hints at a visual language rooted in maritime elegance.
High-gloss striped wood panelling creates an effortless connection to polished teak decks, while polished metal accents and deep blue tonal contrasts evoke coastal sunsets and the sleek lines of a motoryacht. Even the silken carpet has been engineered to suggest the fluid motion of a hull slicing through calm water, creating a sensorial journey shaped as much by movement as by stillness. The experience continues through curated glassware, china and silverware designed exclusively for the cabin and presented by Flexjet’s Red Label cabin service team, reinforcing the sense of informal ceremony that defines modern luxury.
Alberto Galassi, CEO of the Ferretti Group, describes Riva style as “an expression of elegance that infuses every project with class and exclusivity,” adding that the opportunity to contemplate the sky while immersed in the world of Riva is an experience that is “incredibly beautiful and satisfying, an absolute must.”
Photography, Kenn Ricci, Chairman of Flexjet (left) and Alberto Galassi, CEO of the Ferretti Group (right)
Global Reach for a Global Elite: The G650 as a Flying Residence for Business and Pleasure
The Gulfstream G650 that houses Riva Volare is built for a global generation of high-net-worth individuals whose lives span business, culture and investment ecosystems across continents. With the ability to fly up to 14 to 16 hours and a maximum range of 7,000 nautical miles, the aircraft connects New York, London, Milan, Singapore and Tokyo with uninterrupted ease, offering a multi-zone cabin environment designed for dining, working, socialising and sleeping.
A cabin altitude of just 1,002 metres promotes reduced fatigue, while exceptionally low cabin noise levels, high-speed Starlink connectivity and a spacious stand-up cabin offer the comfort and flexibility of a flying residence. The aircraft seats up to 15 passengers and is served by a dedicated cabin professional, enabling a style of personalised hospitality that aligns more closely with private members’ clubs than commercial aviation.
Kenn Ricci, Chairman of Flexjet, says the collaboration embodies the company’s philosophy of design as a central element of luxury travel, rather than an aesthetic add-on. “Riva Volare is not only a celebration of a timeless design icon, but a bold statement of where we're going—defining the standard for what it means to be a modern luxury brand,” he explains.
Low-Altitude Luxury: Helicopter Travel Reimagined for the Riviera Lifestyle
The Riva Volare aesthetic also forms the centrepiece of two Sikorsky S-76 helicopters, one based in Florida and another supporting a new Flexjet helicopter operation launching in Milan and designed to serve Italy, Monaco and the French Riviera. This expansion reflects a shift in the needs of global UHNW travellers, for whom helicopter travel has evolved from a pragmatic transfer service to a lifestyle enabler, supporting time-sensitive travel, discreet movement and access to remote or exclusive destinations.
The Sikorsky S-76, one of the most respected helicopters in private aviation, carries up to eight passengers and offers a flight range of approximately 300 nautical miles or two and a half hours, supported by twin-turbine engine redundancy, a four-blade rotor system engineered for stability and comfort, and dual autopilot systems. Every flight is operated by two IFR-qualified pilots, reinforcing safety and professionalism as foundations of luxury mobility.
The new Milan-based helicopter service will cater to Flexjet’s existing jet owners seeking seamless integration between fixed-wing and vertical-lift travel, and to new clients during the summer season. Ferretti Group yacht owners, who often require fluid mobility between ports, private residences and coastal destinations, will receive preferential access, reflecting the customer synergies between the brands.
The Craft of Desire: Italian Heritage Meets American Innovation
The development of Riva Volare represents a meticulous process of transposing yacht design codes onto aviation architecture, combining Ferretti Group’s heritage of artisanal craftsmanship with Flexjet’s advanced engineering capabilities. From the material palette to the cabin ergonomics, every element has been approached with the intention of creating emotional resonance, tactile pleasure and a seamless interface between aesthetic expression and functional performance. It is luxury realised through rigour rather than excess, signifying a movement towards deeply personal, sensory-driven experiences in private travel.
A Lifestyle, not a Logo: The Culture of Contemporary Private Travel
The Riva Volare concept mirrors broader trends shaping global private travel, where individuals at the highest level expect privacy, authenticity, sustainability and narrative-rich environments rather than ostentation. Flexjet and the Ferretti Group recognise that luxury is increasingly defined by atmosphere, discretion and the freedom to command time—qualities expressed through architecture, service and mobility rather than branding. The Riva Volare cabin functions not as a showroom, but as a sanctuary: a space to work in quiet focus, sleep deeply, host with ease, or simply disappear above the noise of the world.
Innovation Is the New Exclusivity: Flexjet Expands Its Global Universe
As Flexjet marks its 30th anniversary, the company continues to expand its ecosystem of premium aviation services, from its LXi Cabin Collection™ of bespoke interiors to a fleet of long-range jets and an expanding helicopter division spanning London, New York, The Bahamas, Florida and now mainland Europe.
The company also maintains a leading sustainability strategy, including carbon offset programmes and investment in Sustainable Aviation Fuel, reflecting the expectations of a new generation of international owners. For global travellers navigating complex lifestyles across multiple territories, Flexjet is positioning itself not simply as a provider of aircraft, but as a curator of seamless, multi-modal mobility.
From the Riviera to the Runway: A Horizon of Infinite Possibility
Riva Volare is more than a design collaboration, it is a statement of intent for a future where travellers at the highest tier will no longer choose between performance and beauty, speed and sanctuary, ocean and sky. For those who expect every journey to carry the emotional weight of arrival, this new fusion of aviation and nautical design offers not simply transport, but experience.
Photography, courtesy of Flexjet.
