Leisure charters dominated the recent festive season as families headed for the Indian Ocean whilst the business charter travellers took a break, said an industry expert.

This year has proved to be a positive year so far for Empire Aviation Group (EAG), the Dubai-based private aviation specialist, as demand returns to the Middle East private jet charter market and outstrips the supply of jets available, said Paras Dhamecha, executive director of EAG.

As demand returns, charter rates have firmed and service has become the main differentiating factor for clients in selecting their preferred operator, he added.

Top of the seasonal jet charter destinations were the Indian Ocean – the Maldives and Seychelles – followed by Ankara/Istanbul, and Phuket, with other CIS destinations proving popular. Around 75 per cent of EAG’s seasonal charter flights were for leisure.

“EAG’s recent charter passenger mix was heavily skewed towards leisure, reflecting the seasonal demand, whilst business charter continued but at a lower level. Many of our seasonal charter clients were from outside the UAE – mainly from Russia and Saudi Arabia, with Indian and Swedish clients also prominent,” said Dhamecha.

“Our most popular charter aircraft were the Embraer Legacy 600 and the Hawker 900XP – both of which offer a lot of space and comfort to larger groups and families travelling on holiday, with a full service area and crew of three.”

“After a relatively slow period for the charter business, demand is now returning and clients are looking for value for money and service. This suits us very well as we have a strong focus on customer service, which is vital in an industry which caters to a highly demanding clientele and where word of mouth and personal recommendation is critical,” added Dhamecha.

“We see this as a healthy development and as charter demand returns to the region, we can see that the private aviation industry has developed and matured, with a growing number of private jets positioned in the region. Private jet charter is increasingly regarded as a business service or a leisure service with real functional benefits rather than an expensive luxury and this all points to a very positive future for jet charter in the region,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service