Private jet travel becomes affordable

Private jet travel has just become more accessible as charter brokerage company, Air Partner launches Empty Sectors website, which allows you to book a one-way flight at discounts of nearly 50 per cent in some cases.

This cost reduction is a boon for companies that are looking for annual savings in corporate jet travel, a market that saw nearly a 40 per cent decline in 2009, with the onset of the financial crash.

As the name suggests, Emptysectors.com allows passengers to check out a list of private jet flights that have already been chartered and have seats available onboard.

"Operators usually charter flights on a one-way basis and the aircraft returns home empty. What we do is utlise that empty segment by selling seats to customers at a much lower price, as the majority of the cost has already been covered when the aircraft is chartered in the first place," Kevin Ducksbury, Director of Middle East and Asia operations, Air Partner, told Emirates Business.

"It is a bit difficult to gauge prices considering passengers sometimes request travel on only a portion of the route," said Ducksbury.

Yet, as appealing as this concept sounds, Empty Sectors does have its drawbacks.

"This is an ad hoc concept, which means we can't guarantee travel much in advance," he said. "The frequency is not fixed and sometimes the operator can also decide to park the aircraft for maintenance."

But in some cases, travel can be arranged in a matter of hours. Ben Bewsey, Air Partner Private Jets Manager, United Kingdom, said: "As with a normal charter, aircraft can be airborne in hours. Once the client has found the empty sector they are interested in, it can take only a couple of hours to make the necessary arrangements."

Bewsey added: "Clients simply log on to our website and complete five boxes – where they would like to fly from and to, when they want to travel and their degree of flexibility, and how many passengers will be flying. It's very quick and easy.

"The website then produces a list of all available empty sectors. Once clients spot one or more legs they are interested in, they can call and speak to one of the team members or complete a call back request form."

To put into perspective, he said: "A traditional one way London-Geneva charter would cost in the region of £6,500 in a six-seat jet. If an empty sector was available, this cost could be reduced to about £3,000."

Rise in private jet travel

While Ducksbury agrees that this concept throws open private jet travel to a whole new market that previously couldn't afford its steep prices, he believes corporates are still their primary market. "Of course, we are also noticing an increasing demand among leisure passengers who have a degree of flexibility in their travel plans," he said.

"Demand is high in major cities such as London, Paris, Frankfurt and Geneva. While in the Middle East, demand is from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait."

Asked if demand for private jet travel is returning, Ducksbury said the first five months of 2010 have indicated a surge in demand, compared to the same period last year.

"Last year saw the private charter business drop by nearly 40 per cent globally. Air Partner wasn't immune to this and we experienced a similar decline. However, if we compare January to May sales to the same period in 2009, we have already regained nearly 50 per cent of the market," he said.

Ducksbury said they were still far way off from hitting those same rate and volume levels of the boom years, between 2005 and 2008, but achieving it was not entirely impossible.

"We can achieve those 2008 peak levels, if not now, then maybe in three to five years. But we also have to take into account the excessive spending by some players in the market may never return," he said.

"While the Middle East accounts for five per cent of Air Partner's global revenue, Ducksbury said the company's future growth plans included further expansion in the region and Asia.

 Mideast demand

"The UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are important markets for us and we are certainly looking to increase our presence in one of these territories," he said.

"Our focus also includes Asia, and we are seeing an increase in the number of trips to the continent."

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