Coronavirus sees a 27% increase in private jet bookings

Coronavirus sees private jet charter operators register a 27% increase in bookings since the outbreak has spread

Linz, 10 March 2020 - Panic over coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused European and international airliners to take restrictive measures and cut back flights to Italy and Israel.

While the coronavirus outbreak threatens commercial airlines to lose $113 billion in revenue (Forbes via IATA), private jet companies have registered a remarkable spike in bookings.

“We are registering a 27% YoY increase in bookings over the past three weeks alone,” says Bernhard Fragner, CEO of GlobeAir, Europe’s leading private jet charter operator.

Against the approximately 700 touchpoints which expose passengers to the risk of contagion on every single commercial flight, with only 20 touchpoints, business aviation ensures a 30-times lower risk.

Just recently, however, GlobeAir was forced to suspend flights to and from Italy after the Italian government imposed a state of quarantine to last until April 3rd, 2020.

Private jet companies are used to escorting fewer passengers at a time and pilots are aware of the latest safety procedures. On-board disinfectant kits are always available. Before the start of each rotation, pilots undergo strict medical checks. GlobeAir is not assigning pilots who have visited Italy in the past 14 days to any of its flights.

The average cost of four business class tickets from Paris to Geneva is approximately € 2,200. A GlobeAir private jet flight covering the same route would cost about € 500 more per passenger making € 4,200 in total. The difference signifies an investment in safety and efficiency, with about one hour and 45 minutes saved on each trip.

We are closely monitoring the situation and will update this page continuously.