Jet Charter Europe

WingX estimates that in 2017 European charter flights for commercial aircraft amounted to 450,000 charter hrs, an increase of more than 10% over the last 12 month. WingX, with Paris Le Bourget and Geneva, Switzerland, the top charter customer locations, reported more than 102,000 take-offs between June and September at European airport locations, the most busy since 2009.

"PrivateFly is developing very well because corporate jet charter is no longer seen as something only the wealthy can afford," says Adam Twidell, PrivateFly's founding CEO. According to the British firm, charter revenues increased by more than 50% in 2017 and contributed more than £22 million ($28.8 million) to revenues.

Mr. Twidell is convinced that the launch of membership-based corporate jet programs such as Surf Air and Wheels Up as well as planned corporate jet shuttle programs such as JetSmarter have contributed to the value of adding a new breed of traveller to personal airline travel. According to Twidell, the new surge of high-tech and user-friendly reservation systems is drawing a younger "digitally savvy customer base that wants to be able to take advantage of various instant service options - from taxi to over to sitting in a personal jet".

As PrivateFly points out, this is mirrored in a decline in the mean ages of corporate jet users from 41 in 2016 to 38 today. "A lot of folks think that the typically privately owned jet client is over 50 years old, but that's not the case these days," says Twidell. The ever younger and more recent development of the demographics of commercial air travel is also the outcome of the so-called "live-for-today" corporate citizenship, which is widespread among younger travelers.

"While millennia go by in the world of work, this younger age will become the next public for personal jets, requiring more selection, adaptation and personalization". Part of this is also a new payment method for charter aircrafts. As PrivateFly says, this area is "ready for disruption" in 2018, with block-chain technologies having the promise of becoming a majorstream charter business tool.

By 2014, the London-based company was one of the first privately owned airlines to embrace the Bitcoin electronic money, and there was a significant increase in supply requirements. "Whilst payments in crypto currencies can still be a niche," says Twidell, "popularity is rising fast. Widespread new air traffic in the next few years will help maintain charter air traffic and challenging many of the incumbent operators in the area.

Twidell's recently certified Pilatus PC-24 is the "rival of the hugely acclaimed Embraer Phenom 300" at the lower end of the range. Bombardier's Global 7000, which will go into operation later this year, will strive to "steal the Gulfstream 650ER stake," which Twidell calls "the icon jet of tomorrow's ultra-high network pick.

The US Air Force has never had to face an enemy army with camouflage airplanes before.