According to the European Organization for the Safety of Aviation (Eurocontrol) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), commercial airlines have lost 55% of their flight volume to COVID-19. With airliners suddenly becoming unavailable and less reliable, coupled with high biosecurity concerns, more and more affluent flyers have started to charter private jets for essential travels.
"2020 saw GlobeAir's new accounts base grow 89% more than in 2019 and double-digit inquiries growth in December 2020 (+ 24%) and January 2021 (+ 17%). This trend may be due to the growth of converters and downgraders. The first being frequent flyers who have switched to private jet services (converters); the latter being private jet travellers who now prefer entry-level jet services (downgraders)," says VP of Marketing & Sales Jonathan Berdoz.
Biosecurity is the determining factor here. When flying on a commercial airline, you may risk exposure to an average of 700 touchpoints compared to only 20 touchpoints on a private jet journey.