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DUBAI: Even private jet travel has become “all-inclusive” this Eid holiday, with Emirati holidaymakers booking a flight with luxury hotel stays and other on-the-ground experiences in the Maldives or Seychelles. In this way, jet operators hope to convince more wealthy passengers to consider “going private” rather than paying to fly first class on an airline.
Operator Jetex offers such a package at Dh85,000 per person, with competing deals for travelers making last-minute decisions about where to spend Eid. According to a senior Jetex official, the price of the package should not be considered exorbitant.
“For the first time, we are offering a concierge service for Eid at almost the same cost as first class,” said Jetex founder and CEO Adel Mardini.
“We’ve had several inquiries and bookings for this service.”
The package includes stays at five-star partner hotels, resorts and villas such as Muraka and One and Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives and select hotels in the Seychelles. There are yacht charters and many other benefits.
Other private jet charter companies have also reported a spike in demand during and even after Eid. “Many also fly to the UAE on private jets to celebrate the holidays in Dubai,” said Rajgopal Nair, director of Bluedot Charters.
Dubai-based private jet charter company JetzCorp said it had received at least 100 inquiries this Eid and confirmed 20 bookings to various holiday destinations.
Typically, a family of four flying to Singapore can cost up to Dh367,210. Travel from Dubai to Sharm El Sheikh costs around Dh125,000, while chartering a Hawker 900XP jet to Jeddah starts at Dh123,000.
The cost of the journey from Dubai to Riyadh ranges from Dh89,000 to Dh116,000. Midsize jets such as the Citation XLS+ and the Dassault Falcon 50 can seat up to nine passengers, while a Learjet 60XR to Istanbul costs Dh143,000 and a Legacy 650 Dh182,000.
Any tip that requires a flight of six hours or more will cost at least Dh275,422 to Dh330,507. These are the prices for a one-way trip, the operator said. However, if a passenger needs to take an in-city trip or take the plane with them throughout the holiday (two to three days), the cost will exceed Dh600,000.
Jetex
Image source: Jetex
For concierge services who want to charter an 80ft yacht or catamaran, an additional US$40,000 (Dh146,892) is required.
Popular Eid Destinations
While popular European destinations such as London, Spain, Athens, Zurich, Naples, Paris and Geneva are popular destinations for Eid travel, those flying private jets are also looking to Maldives and Istanbul for the holidays.
“African destinations such as Kenya, Zanzibar and Tanzania are gaining popularity,” said JetzCorp founder Ahmed Shajeer. “Sharm el-Sheikh is another.”
There is also demand for Umrah to Saudi Arabia. “This Ramadan, we’ve done almost 30 umrah trips from Dubai to Saudi Arabia, and we have a few left over in the next day or two,” Shajeer said.
Jeddah-Dubai to Umrah flights cost between AED 146,892 and AED 165,253 in a mid-size Citation Sovereign carrying nine passengers.
Private jets no longer share seats
Business jet suppliers say the seat-sharing trend, in which small groups of people book private jets, ended with COVID-19. “High-net-worth individuals charter flights exclusively for their friends and family,” says JetzCorp’s Ahmed Shajeer. “Seat sharing ended with the pandemic as people became more concerned about safety and their personal space.”
Travel Demand Trends
Unlike commercial flights, more than 70 percent of private jet charter bookings are made on short notice, Shajeer said.
Despite challenges in the global economy, business aviation service providers remain optimistic about the growth in private charter demand in the region, not limited to major events such as last year’s World Cup in Qatar and Expo 2020.
Despite recession fears, the private aviation industry in the Middle East is expected to grow by 20-25% year-on-year in 2022, based on aircraft movements. According to the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Center in South Dubai, as many as 15,444 private jet movements will be recorded in 2022, an increase of 3% over the same period last year. In December, 2,319 movements were recorded, the highest number for a single month.
“We achieved 15% growth in the first quarter of 2023 – on average, we are operating 1,250 flights per month,” Mardani said. “There has been a lot of growth, especially in Dubai because 80% of our market share comes from Al Maktoum International Airport.”
Earlier this month, Jetex was awarded the concession to manage and operate the VIP terminal at Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Executive Airport. (Al Bateen is the only business aviation airport in the region.)
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