A shared perception within the travel industry is that private aviation services the needs of the rich and famous. Sure, in part it does, but the often-called business flight industry is much more than that.
Did you know that private aviation connects remote locations without any type of commercial connections? Or that it plays a major role during humanitarian missions? Its overall flexibility allows this market to adapt to almost any industry’s needs and challenges.
Data from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for 2019 suggest that more than 5,000 airports serve executive aviation in the U.S., compared to just over 500 for the commercial counterpart. Up to 80% of all private plane flights go to small cities, with 41% of them without access to commercial aviation.
In the same line, the possibility to fly to remote locations and connect isolated communities serves not only the local population but also small and medium companies that rely on private aviation to ship products where commercial flight lacks established operations. The No Plane, No Gain advocacy campaign supports the previous.
It’s a joint effort between the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, launched ten years ago with the aim to educate the public on the importance of business aviation in the United States and its communities, companies and citizens.
But there’s more to private aviation. Jet charter company Monarch Air Group has played a key role in humanitarian missions in South Florida and the Caribbean in the past decade. Most recently, it provided several flights to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Irma, taking relief supplies and medication to affected regions, isolated due to damaged roads and lack of electricity.
Furthermore, demand increases exponentially when extreme weather or a certain crisis hits a region. It’s what private air providers are experiencing with the novel coronavirus, which has grounded thousands of commercial flights but has left business aviation as the option for many passengers to get to their destinations safely, and also arguably minimizing the opportunities for the spread of the virus.
What aircraft should I charter?
Another asset that this market brings to the table is the possibility to choose the aircraft. There’s a right plane for each route, and the job of any trustworthy charter company is to assess each client’s needs. Take isolated humanitarian missions as an example. Turboprops are special aeroplanes thanks to having the unique operational capability to land in short runways and sometimes even in grass or gravel.
The same would be the case for shorter flights, two hours or less, or to meet the needs of a small or medium company, granting long-term cost efficiency through reduced operational costs, if there’s a need to use private flight on a regular basis to support its business goals. Larger aircraft, like midsized or heavy jets, provide larger cargo capacity for humanitarian missions and are usually faster, an important asset for longer flights.
In conclusion, private aviation is more than luxury, celebrity and fancy cars driving on the tarmac and parking by a jet. Yes, there’s also an increasing market for that, but the foundation of this industry lies in the backstage; a reliable means of transportation to support any sort of need in a swift, safe and cost-efficient manner. Private aviation demystified.
Established in 2006, Monarch Air Group is a leading provider of on-demand private jet charter, aircraft management and long-term aircraft lease. Among Monarch’s customers are Fortune 500 corporations, leading entrepreneurs, Government agencies and world-leading NGO’s.
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