Unpredictable times
With the world in the grip of unprecedented geopolitical unrest in recent weeks, the private jet charter industry is seeing a number of changes in our usual demand patterns.
Obviously the last week has been a truly devastating time for Japan, and recently we have seen significant political unrest in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen – all of which has resulted in demand for evacuation flights from the countries affected. Governments are keen to fly their citizens to safety (today the UK Foreign Office has announced it is using private jet charter for evacuation flights out of Japan in addition to the commercial options available); global corporations are using private jet hire to evacuate their employees; and individuals are also making their own private charter arrangements to fly home, given the uncertainty with booking and confirming airline flights – understandable in such challenging and fluctuating times.
Analysis of PrivateFly.com online flight search data (ie what people are searching for using our online flight search functionality) usually shows a fairly predictable annual pattern in terms of top destinations for private jet charter. Paris, Geneva, London, Moscow, New York and Los Angeles are popular year-round while there are predictable seasonal highs for destinations such as the Caribbean, ski resorts in Europe and the US/Canada, European summer hotspots and for the host cities of major international events, such as the London 2012 Olympics. However the last few weeks of unrest have resulted in unprecedented swings in our top 10 search destinations. Previously quieter spots for private jet charter are appearing in the top 10 for the first time, with airports in neighbouring ‘safe’ countries to those affected (such as Cyprus and Malta) proving popular landing spots in addition to increased interest in departures from the crisis-hit countries themselves.
These are unpredictable times. Click here for further advice on evacuation flights by private jet charter.