Clive Chalmers is vice president, charter, at private aviation specialist Air Partner
Private jets certainly had their moment in the sun during the
pandemic when many regular business and first class fliers discovered their
benefits, but will corporates return to commercial flights now that networks
and schedules move towards full restoration?
Farnborough Airport, designed with business travellers in mind,
saw an increase in private jet use of 19. 2 per cent during the pandemic –
compared to 2019 – while Biggin Hill fared even better, witnessing 74 per cent
growth. As recently as this March, the number of charter flights for business
trips in Europe increased 16 per cent compared to the same period in 2019, according
to data from WINGX.
As we enter a post-pandemic world, group charter travel for
conferences and product launches is recovering but, notably, this is for
smaller groups travelling to smaller scale industry events. This shift is generating
more demand for the 50-100 seater Embraer 145 or 170 aircraft rather than 189-seater 737s, for example.
Incentive travel is also making a comeback after two years of
virtual or hybrid events, albeit a slow one. One trend we’re noticing here is shorter lead times for
some group bookings – weeks or even days – due to some unease and uncertainty
around Covid-19 infection rates.
Meanwhile, priorities around corporate travel have also shifted.
According to the Institute of Travel Management, only 28 per cent of buyers
believe business travel will return to pre-pandemic levels, while sustainability is top of the agenda for many organisations right now.
Environmentally-friendly electric aircraft are, realistically, some way off, but there is
potential for leaner and cleaner engines in private aviation, with possible
developments in hydrogen-fuelled planes expected this year.
Further considerations for corporates and travel management companies alike are reduced resources, increasing costs and conflict in Ukraine.
All of which points to a situation in which some corporates are reducing travel volumes but increasing the 'quality' of trips, with employees' mental and physical wellbeing very much in mind.
Some businesses will therefore want to arrange private jet travel, particularly for those high profile trips where there is a tangible return on investment and time and convenience are of the essence.
In these cases, we believe that companies will choose to protect
their employees’ security and guarantee better ease of passage by flying them
privately. We also predict that for businesses moving groups around the world,
the use of charter aircraft will be more prevalent, for convenience, speed and security.
It is very much our expectation that senior business executives and the
C-Suite will continue to travel in private jets for high-level, critical
meetings where face-to-face discussions can make a tangible difference.
Both private jet and scheduled airlines have their place in today’s world, however planning business travel
has become a balancing act, weighing up return on investment, budget, time and
the cost to the environment.