As the UAE attracts a never-ending roll call of billionaires and millionaires, Bombardier chief executive Eric Martel joined me aboard the company's Global 7500 to discuss meeting that the demand for private jets.

He delivered a very simple message that, when customers move and grow in one region, you pivot and grow with them.

Already, Bombardier has delivered basic maintenance for up to 1,000 private jets in 2025 and he’s ready to do more. As we settled back in the brand new aircraft, Mr Martel made it clear that this region is growing faster than anywhere else in the world.

Yes, you may have the “biggest market” in the US with 16,000 private jets that are always going to need to be serviced and replaced. But as far as fleet growth and servicing growth goes, the best destination is the UAE.

To that end, Bombardier is expanding in Abu Dhabi with a major service centre expected to begin operations by the end of 2026. The company has doubled its overall global service capacity in the past five years.

We were sitting in a Global 7500 private jet. The next step is the Global 8000 – the first delivery to the UAE is to come in the second quarter of 2026. It will be the fastest business jet in the world since Concord in either the private or commercial spaces.

But it's not just about delivering a more than $80 million aircraft. It's about making jets “bespoke”, he added. He is to launch a special collaboration with Lebanese designer Elie Saab. As the private jet market grows, so does the requirement for an individual, bespoke interior. This is about graduating from NetJets, VistaJet and FlexJet.

As the old saying goes, if you have to ask the price of maintenance, this is probably not the product for you.

The Global 8000 is also set to have the lowest cabin pressure, so owners will feel refreshed and ready to go when they step off their plane.

Meanwhile, as Bitcoin has wiped out its gains for 2025, Mr Martel made it clear that the crypto community is still very much a part of his demand infrastructure internationally. He is not quite ready to accept crypto as payment, but it is certainly part of the conversation when the regulations allow.

For me, this is the closest I will get to stepping on board a private jet, albeit on the tarmac and stationary at Dubai World Central. I live a life somewhere between the middle seat in economy and business class, if I'm lucky.