Nicky Oppenheimer's aircraft returns to Johannesburg as De Beers sale nears final stages

Nicky Oppenheimer's Bombardier Global 6500, tail number ZS-EKA, was tracked flying from Farnborough Airport (EGLF) to O.R. Tambo International Airport (FAOR) on June 27, 2026, completing a 10-hour 35-minute journey at a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet.

If aboard, Nicky Oppenheimer would arrive in Johannesburg the same week that a consortium led by former De Beers CEO Gareth Penny is said to be leading the race to buy the diamond giant from Anglo American, per a News24 report published June 17. The sale process comes amid one of the deepest downturns in diamond industry history, with the Iran war hampering other bidders and Botswana seeking a larger stake in the business.

The flight follows a pattern of European travel for the South African billionaire, whose aircraft was tracked from Johannesburg to Farnborough just days earlier on June 22. Oppenheimer, now Africa's fourth-richest person with a $10.6 billion fortune according to Forbes, sold the family's 40% De Beers stake in 2012 and has since focused on conservation and his Fireblade Aviation charter business based at O.R. Tambo.