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Oh, summer, summer, how I do not want you to leave. And in order to extend the summer atmosphere at least a little, BizavNews came to visit LL Jets, where we summed up the symbolic results of summer navigation. And there today Alisher Elmuradov, co-owner of the charter broker LL Jets, a member of the Aim of Emperor group of companies, shares the latest summer trends in business aviation.
Alisher, the summer has just ended. What was it like for LL Jets and for the business aviation charter market in general?
Summer navigation turned out to be hot this year; September, by the way, continues to warm up the market. It revived and grew noticeably: according to our estimates, in June-August 2017, charter traffic grew by 15% compared to the same period last year. Top destinations in the summer remained unchanged – passengers prefer to fly on short routes and mainly to Europe. By tradition, they love the French Riviera, do not change Italy and Spain, for the second year in a row they also choose Greece, where small helicopters are chartered for flights between the islands. But long flights, for example, from Moscow to the Maldives, are not very popular in summer, since you can also get warm on the Mediterranean coast. Nevertheless, in the wake of the increased summer interest in charter flights next winter, the demand for distant island destinations, which were quite frequent before the economic downturn, may also grow.
What business jets did summer passengers choose?
Basically, the preferences remained the same, since there were no new vessels on the market that would be actively used. The only exceptions were the Brazilian Phenom 100 and 300. There are more of them on the market and in their niche – flights between European cities – they are quite well ordered.
What interesting non-standard flights have been organized recently?
All unusual flights are usually urgent and extraordinary. First of all, we are talking about medical flights, where the rule is – day to day. The main challenge that often accompanies such flights is the lack of a medical aircraft at the right time and in the right place. When it comes to hours and even minutes, the maximum concentration of the forces of the entire team is required. Lightning-fast and well-coordinated work on the search and approval of an aircraft, its approach to those in need and medical transportation to the place of assistance – all these are the most important qualities of business aviation that helps people.
Do you rent business jets for more festive occasions?
Of course. I don't know if we should expect an increase in the birth rate in the near future, but the number of wedding flights has increased with us. As a rule, private jets are rented for weddings by those clients who often fly on business jets themselves, know the level of service and want the flight for their guests to be at the same level. But planes capable of carrying large groups of passengers are on the market for recounting and they cost fabulous money. Therefore, for more reasonable money, we offered the SuperJet 100 in a VIP line-up and even a simple economic one. But at the same time we are doing “tuning” of the economy-class aircraft to the level of a private aviation flight.
What are the “chips” due to this “tuning”?
We have attracted catering companies that work in business aviation, we have compiled a festive menu taking into account the specifics of serving large groups of travelers. Namely: storing large portions of food, dishes, adapting the order to the aircraft infrastructure, instructing the crew, servicing the entire group of passengers in VIP terminals. We even sewed a special crew uniform for one flight, which was in the brand colors of the wedding. So we created a festive atmosphere while on board the aircraft, and the guests were satisfied with it.
It is most important. And finally, what fresh trends have appeared on the market lately?
Surprisingly, over the last half of the year, we have noted the trend of early booking. Both individuals and travel agencies began to rent charter flights in advance. Someone for a month, someone for three. Thanks to this approach, our clients have the opportunity to get a more attractive price, and in the case of a successful search for Empty Leg, the price will even be in the market niche. Nevertheless, we try to find the most flexible options for clients planning to depart several days in advance. After all, lightning-fast efficiency is the main credo of business aviation and the LL Jets team.
