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Although a pandemic-induced slowdown has decimated commercial airline passenger traffic, the private-jet industry in the UAE is taking off thanks to corporates and wealthy residents in the Emirates.
Since the coronavirus lockdown was lifted a few months back, the charter-flight sector in the region has been seeing increased demand as travellers are ready to cough up thousands of dollars per hour to avoid crowded airports and cabins, an industry source told Zawya.
“There has been an increase in private jet demand since the lockdown restrictions were lifted from countries that could handle private aviation. Private charter demand [started to go up] with the cancellations of commercial flights,” said Aziz Ghorbani, general manager at Delta World Charter, a provider of private and cargo charter services.
“Passengers are willing to splurge more for their peace of mind. For many [of them], a private flight may be the first aircraft they have stepped on in 2020 and the best way to jet off to a much-needed break,” he added.
Commercial airlines have been burning through cash since the onset of the pandemic due to plummeting passenger numbers. Air traffic started to pick up in recent months from their lowest levels during the March lockdown, but recovery has been weaker than expected and there are concerns that more carriers are expected to fold.
Private aviation
The private aviation sector, however, has been seeing a smaller disruption compared to their commercial peers, with demand for flights from businesses and residents rising since the easing of restrictions, according to Ghorbani.
“We foresee [that] private charter will increase until commercial flights are back to normal, which could take two to four years,” Ghorbani told Zawya.
Most of these flights, which could easily cost around $6,500 to $8,000 per hour, have been booked for essential business trips as well as for medical reasons, he added. Customers in the region have booked the private flights for trips between the Middle East and Europe as well as Africa.
Fleets being utilised for the private trips are heavy jets that can accommodate 10 to 13 people, usually booked for business trips, as well as ultra-long-range aircraft with 14 to 19 seats, popular among customers on business and diplomatic missions.
“[The] average price [these customers pay are] based hourly, depending on the type of aircraft. For heavy jets, the price would range from $6,500 to $8,000 per hour,” Ghorbani said.
Why fly private?
Travellers feel much safer flying in a chartered aircraft, where the number of touchpoints is considerably lower when compared to a commercial flight.
“Chartering a flight mitigates many of the risks of being infected, both on the ground and in the air. In fact, the risk of exposure is much lower on private flights as compared to flying commercial, owing to the significantly lower touchpoints. For older travellers, or those with pre-existing conditions, flying private may be a smarter way to stay safe,” said Ghorbani.
He noted that on a private chartered flight, there is plenty of room for passengers, so social distancing can be maintained.
“The limited number of passengers on board make it safer for all. Additionally, co-passengers are usually people who are known to each other – often they may be members of the same sports team, or work for the same organisation, or are part of the same family. The chances of unruly passengers who argue with cabin crew and refuse to wear masks are negligible to non-existent,” he added.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) had earlier said that there is a low incidence of inflight COVID-19 transmission, based on the number of published cases.
The air transport body said that since the start of 2020, only 44 coronavirus cases out of 1.2 billion passengers have been reported in which transmission is thought to have been associated with a flight journey.
(Reporting by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)
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© ZAWYA 2020
