Private jet charter's blog

Strategic & Financial Update

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE TO DOUBLE SIZE OF BUSINESS BY 2015

MAJOR EXPANSION OF CORE HUBS, ROUTE NETWORK AND FLEET UNDERWAY

DELIVERY OF US$2 BILLION ORDER BACKLOG UNDERWAY

BUSINESS PERFORMED STRONGLY IN 2011

CONTINUING GROWTH AND OUTPERFORMANCE IN KEY MARKETS

STRONG BALANCE SHEET

 

London: 12 January 2012 Strategic Update

VistaJet, the world’s leading luxury aviation company outside of the Americas, announces that it has commenced the second phase of its strategic expansion across the BRINC* countries and other fast- growth developing markets including the Middle East, wider West African regions and CIS nations as it seeks to double the size of the business within four years.

The Company’s strategy is to focus on fast-growth markets including the BRINC countries, Middle East, Africa and CIS nations. Underpinned by the ongoing and rapid growth in global commodity markets and the development of mining and other assets in remote locations, either underserved by commercial airlines or from where direct routes to other key commodity and natural resource market locations do not exist.

Moreover, a significant proportion of commodity and natural resource companies operating in today’s markets are founder-owned which has resulted in the rapid growth of luxury aviation as well as reliable and efficient point-to-point travel.

An outstanding example of this is Russia where VistaJet has established a major presence and, with the recent delivery of new long-haul aircraft, is the largest international luxury aviation company flying into key Russian destinations including Moscow.

In 2012, VistaJet has prioritised a number of regions for further expansion including:

         -  Africa, following on from the recent successful development of a major presence on the west coast

         -  China, where VistaJet is at the advanced stages of establishing a presence in conjunction with local partners with a view to commencing operations no later than the end of 2012

Thomas Flohr, founder and chairman of VistaJet, commented:

“We have reached a major stage in our development and strategic expansion. We have the opportunity to build on our established position as the world’s leading luxury aviation company with the largest fleet of business jets outside of North America.

“Flying VistaJet is as much a business decision as it is a lifestyle choice. If you are the owner of a mining company with assets in Siberia and Central Africa, you cannot afford to spend up to three days flying commercially between Novosibirsk and Luanda. Nor are you going to want to fly on some of the airlines that will get you there. With our modern, state-of-the-art long-haul fleet, VistaJet will fly you there directly and in style.”

The rapid growth in demand and the significant expansion of its route network to include longer-haul sectors has also seen a rapid expansion in VistaJet’s fleet of Bombardier aircraft.

Today, following recent deliveries, the fleet is over 30-strong. With a $2 billion order backlog, the fleet is set to double by 2015 to over 60 mid- and large-size long range-aircraft. The growth in fleet will not be at the expense of maintaining the average fleet age at less than two years and with no single aircraft being more than three years old.

Ian Moore, Chief Commercial Officer commented:

“No one else in the private business aviation sector is taking delivery of brand new aircraft at the rate we are, nor is anyone more committed to maintaining the youngest fleet in the skies. It is a bold step and another example of our commitment to providing a unique customer experience.”

Financial Update

VistaJet’s strategic expansion comes as the Company confirms that it had continued to perform strongly in 2011.

For the year ended 31 December 2011, VistaJet expects to record a 20% increase in passenger numbers and a 25% increase in revenues. These trends are expected to continue during the current financial year .

VistaJet also expects to confirm that profits for the year grew in excess of 50%.

Thomas Flohr concluded:

“Our success is a result of our proven business model and I am delighted with our strong performance. We are growing passenger numbers, revenues and profits.

“We are well on-track towards doubling the size of the business and consolidating VistaJet’s position as the leading player in its marketplace.” 

* Brazil, Russia, India, Nigeria and China

Shuttle service to Pointe Noire takes off

Transporting heavy and outsize equipment to drilling sites can be demanding, but when there are more challenging destinations involved it is also the flights for the workers which require extra attention.

Over the past three months Chapman Freeborn Airchartering - working in partnership with Danish Air Transport - has coordinated a weekly shuttle from Europe to Pointe Noire on a long range MD87.


Passengers took scheduled services to a Northern European hub, where they boarded the specially arranged Danish Air Transport MD87 service. Flights departed for Pointe Noire at 1000 local time, with a eight hour journey time including a short 35-minute refuelling stop in Djanet, Algeria.


The passengers arrived in Pointe Noire refreshed and ready for work, where the aircraft then waited for 24 hours to allow the workers to change over onsite - helping to ensure production was not stopped. The workers due to go on leave then boarded the aircraft the following evening and travelled back over night, arriving in Europe first thing the next morning.

Chris Buckley, International Project Manager at Danish Air Transport, said:

“We’re delighted to have successfully completed this shuttle programme to Pointe Noire in partnership with Chapman Freeborn.


“With the unstable global economy and uncertainty in regulation of aviation safety standards worldwide, companies need the assurance that the airlines their staff and contractors are travelling with are providing a reliable, safe and experienced partner when operating in remote areas.”

Bart Lorijnen, Project Manager at Chapman Freeborn, added:

“Services for energy and mining related industries are an increasingly important part of Chapman Freeborn’s business. Our global coverage means that whether a client is looking to move a 100-ton piece of equipment to Sao Paulo or a team of 100 workers to the Republic of Congo, we can provide a tailored charter solution with the help of airlines like Danish Air Transport.”

JetSuite offers consumers shared private flights with SuiteShare

Irvine-based JetSuite, a private jet charter company, now offers customers SuiteShare on its four passenger Phenom 100 aircrafts. The company hopes to provide more affordable and accessible options for private air travel for both business and leisure travelers.

“Furthering our mission to provide private jet travel to more people than ever before, SuiteShare allows you to open up your flights to others, and so avoid the hassles of commercial travel at an even lower cost than our already renowned pricing,” said JetSuite CEO and former JetBlue founding executive, Alex Wilcox.

With the new SuiteShare option the price of each ticket decreases as more people join the flight. If a plane reaches maximum capacity, the person that bought the first ticket flies free. JetSuite encourages businesses and individuals to consider private aviation as a comparable option to commercial travel.

Customers interested can visit JetSuite's website to request the departure and arrival location for a specific time. If the request is possible, then the rate will be supplied. Seat cost reductions are issued after the flight is flown. If a flight cannot be found on the website’s search then customers are asked to call JetSuite.

ShareSuite is available to all of JetSuite’s SuiteSpots, that includes major cities in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Utah. Outside of the U.S. options include Canada and Mexico.

PrivateFly.com Drives Growth with Ferrari Owners

PrivateFly.com has announced a partnership with the Ferrari Owners’ Club of Great Britain. The leading online private jet hire platform will provide exclusive benefits and a range of private jet hire services to Ferrari owners, including flights from airports with direct vehicle access to runways – allowing a seamless transfer from ground to air. Peter Everingham, secretary of Ferrari Owners’ Club of Great Britain commented “Private aviation is something our customer base is certainly interested in, and we’re excited to be working with the team at PrivateFly to offer this as an additional benefit and service to our members.” The relationship, which gives Club members access to a global network of 7,000 accredited private jet aircraft and helicopters, forms part of PrivateFly’s partnership distribution strategy. It already provides private jet booking services through a range of partners in the travel industry including lastminute.com, Manchester Airports Group and Ten Lifestyle Management. The company announced earlier this year that is seeking second round investment funding to accelerate its UK growth and develop entry into selected international markets. Carol Cork, marketing director of PrivateFly.com commented: “We are delighted to announce this new partnership with the Ferrari Owners’ Club. Many of their members are existing private jet customers and we are very well-positioned to offer highly competitive quotes from our operator network, as well as additional privilege benefits including events, shared marketing initiatives and dedicated VIP handling services. “We are also looking at further ways of developing the relationship, based on our mutual passion for high-performance technology - delivered with speed and exceptional style”. About PrivateFly.com PrivateFly is an online booking network that makes it quicker, easier and more cost effective to arrange private jet charter. With over 2700 operators registered worldwide, PrivateFly is the only online aggregator for private jet charter in Europe. PrivateFly combines online efficiency and transparency with offline expertise to offer a full-service VIP charter service to direct customers and partners. The bespoke software has been created in-house specifically to meet the needs of charter customers and operators. In 2010 PrivateFly launched the world’s first iPhone application to provide instant private jet pricing on a mobile phone and now offers the equivalent application for the Android platform. PrivateFly.com was awarded Website of The Year in Flight International’s ‘Webbies’ awards earlier this year, which recognise online excellence across the whole of the aviation industry - the judges describing it as “the iTunes” of aviation. It was also announced as one of the Smarta 100 companies in 2010, by a judging panel including Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meaden and other leading entrepreneurs, such as Bebo founder Michael Birch. Founded in 2007, PrivateFly is based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. In 2010 it secured first round investment funding to expand the business and is currently seeking additional funding of £1.5 million, to develop its UK proposition and expand into selected international markets.

Chapman Freeborn highlights its heavy lift expertise

Chapman Freeborn Airchartering has revealed continued strong demand for its expert heavy and outsize cargo charter services.

The latest of several large movements in recent weeks saw the global air charter specialist coordinate the air transportation of a giant piece of oil and gas equipment from Malaysia to Congo to support offshore projects in the region.

The 27-ton part was flown from Johor Bahru (JHB) to Pointe Noire (PNR) on an IL-76 charter, arranged by Chapman Freeborn's Singapore office in close cooperation with colleagues in Italy.

Chapman Freeborn’s technical expertise was utilised by the Italian client to design and manufacture a specialised transport sledge in Singapore so the piece could be loaded into the IL-76 aircraft - saving the customer more than US $500,000 on alternative cargo charter options.

The Singapore team also provided airport representation for the charter, so aircraft loading using a crane and trailer was expertly supervised.

Chapman Freeborn has more than 30 offices worldwide and coordinated over 6,000 cargo, passenger and private jet charters last year, in addition to many ACMI, wet and dry aircraft lease arrangements.

Bombardier wins $650 mln VistaJet order

(Reuters) - Bombardier Inc's (BBDb.TO) aerospace unit said Switzerland's VistaJet had placed an order for 10 Global 8000 aircraft, valued at about $650 million.

Last October, Montreal-based Bombardier, one of the world's largest civil aircraft makers, unveiled plans for the newest additions to the Global family, the Global 7000 and the Global 8000, which will feature the largest cabins and fly the farthest of any business jets in the market.

"There is an increasingly strong demand for large cabin business jets that can connect virtually any city pair worldwide non-stop," said Steve Ridolfi, president, Bombardier Business Aircraft, in a statement.

The latest Global aircraft order raises VistaJet's order backlog value to about $2 billion, Bombardier said in a statement.

VistaJet is a private aviation company that has a comprehensive Bombardier fleet throughout Europe, Middle East and Asia. (Reporting by Bhaswati Mukhopadhyay in Bangalore; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

Private Jet Flights Become More Affordable with JetSuite

When it comes to modern day air travel, the game sure has changed!

Sharply rising fares, colossal security lines, tightly packed planes, bag fees, cancellations and at the end of the day, a huge headache for you.

All of this slowly, but surely has some average Joe travelers looking at other options to stay in the air and believe it or not, this is bringing a boost in business to private charter jet operators. It's companies like JetSuite Air and their fleet of brand new four-seater Embraer Phenom 100 jets that are making it possible.

"Well, historically, I think private jets have been a place where if you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it..we're here to change all of that and we have fares as low as $999 from Phoenix to Las Vegas," said JetSuite CEO Alex Wilcox.

Wilcox adds, "We are lowering the bar dramatically, expanding the market and making private aviation available to many more people than ever before."

Yes, for a one way that's a lot of money in any economy, but if you fill all four seats, that's $500 round trip per person for an action packed Vegas weekend - not a whole lot more than the rising fares with a major carrier and think about the conveinence factor.

"There's no restrictions in respect to what you can bring on board, no TSA lines to wait in..so if your buddy is flying commercial and you're flying JetSuite, he'll be getting through the TSA by the time you're landing in Las Vegas," said Wilcox.

No doubt, the Phenom 100 is much smaller than its traditional counterparts, but consider the BMW designed interior, satellite radio and charging jacks, large cargo space for luggage and golf clubs.

Amenities abound as well as refreshments go beyond the traditional coffee, tea or juice...too much to drink? No problem, it's all at your disposal while cruising at 450 miles per hour and 41,000 feet.

Private jets starting to take off again

Private jets, largely grounded by the recession, are taking off once again — a sign that businesses may be feeling more confident despite the still shaky economy.

JSSI, a company that arranges maintenance for hundreds of corporate aircraft, saw an 11.4% increase in flight hours in the first three months of this year vs. that period last year. In April there was a 7% jump in flying time among its roughly 1,300 customers, compared with April 2010.

The findings mirror those of other analysts who say that after a steep decline during the economic downturn, and after a public backlash against corporate excess, private jet travel is making a comeback. Still, it's way off from its peak.

"We are not back to late '07, early '08 levels, but we're really off the bottom of where we were," says Lou Seno, president and CEO of JSSI. "In the fall of 2008, following the decline of the financial markets … flying literally fell off the charts, and because of the economy and everything else, it has been slow to recover. But the recovery we're seeing has been encouraging."

Industry analyst Brian Foley noted that private flying has been increasing since March 2009, when the departures and landings of business jets had plummeted 35% from their peak in April 2008. It's now down about 10% from that high point, he says.

Certain players in the private plane arena, such as charter operators and fuel providers, are doing better than others, Foley says.

"Those folk are all seeing some early recovery in the industry," he says. "However, aircraft manufacturers, those who make business jets, they're still far from recovery."

During the first quarter of the year, shipments of general aviation aircraft dropped 4.6% compared with 2010, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and billings plunged 19.6%. Piston-engine planes, the smallest and least expensive of aircraft, represented the bright spot, with shipments rising 13.3%. Turboprops, however, dipped 6.7%, and business jets plummeted 22%.

Many corporate jets were parked during the economic downturn — not just because of corporate financial concerns, but to quell the public outcry sparked when heads of the nation's Big Three automakers arrived in Washington by private plane in 2008 to seek government help for the industry.

The memory of that controversial trip has faded, observers say. And businesses are recognizing that private jets are sometimes necessary to drive profits, enabling employees to make multiple meetings in a day or travel in and out of markets with few commercial flights.

"It appears that people are getting back to doing business and out using their airplanes for the purpose which (they're) … meant to be used," Seno says. "For guys who have to go out and make it happen, the only way to do it is in a corporate airplane, where you can get in and make five stops in one day."

But like the stuttering economy, private flying has yet to hit full throttle.

"I think business aviation is looking like the broader economy," says Dan Hubbard, spokesman for the National Business Aviation Association. "You're seeing some indications that (give) you reason for cautious optimism, but (there's) a lot of mixed signals."

Many fliers are continuing to try to be as efficient as possible, experts say.

"They're still doing things intelligently," Seno says. "They put six people on an airplane and see 12 customers in two days. We hear those stories all the time."

"I think people were trained to economize in the recent economy, and habits are hard to break," Foley says. "I think it will be awhile before we get back to full use of business jets, but we're definitely moving in the right direction."

Private Jet Charter takes off for new heights by appointing Virtue PR to pilot its PR strategies in Middle East

Private Jet Charter (PJC), one of the world's largest independent private jet charter companies, is aiming to touch new highs with the appointment of Virtue PR and Marketing Communications to pilot its PR programme in Middle East, Europe and North America including USA and Canada.

 

Chief executive Hugh Courtenay, founder of the company, says, "As a 20 year old brand representing the world's leading private jet charter companies, we decided to choose a leading PR agency to manage our PR business in the Middle East through our Dubai and Jeddah offices, Europe through our London Headquarters and Nice and Moscow offices and Canada and USA through our new base in Florida. We settled on Virtue PR & Marketing Communications because of its strategic thinking, extensive media outreach capabilities and the great dedication of its team of professionals."

This appointment comes at the time when the air charter business is becoming a very attractive alternative to commercial air travel to well-heeled business and leisure travellers who seek to fly in a safe and luxurious environment.

"During the pitch, Virtue PR & Marketing Communications demonstrated innovative ideas, deep understanding of our industry, a proactive approach and flexibility. They simply share with us the same values, global presence and dedication," adds Courtenay.

Commenting on the business win, Firas Sleem, Director of New Markets, Virtue PR & Marketing Communications says, "We are delighted to win this challenging account not only for the Middle East but also for Europe and North America including company's evolving operations in USA and Canada. We are committed to strongly contribute to PJC's international growth trajectory in the short and long run. We felt that the company has complete dedication to its customers and Virtue will use its culture of professionalism, dedication and accessibility to influence media all over the world and further sustain the brand profile in new international markets."

Private Jet Charter's global client base includes royal families, business owners and CEOs, and affluent individuals who recognise the benefits of private travel.

Courtenay adds, "We seek to leverage PR to enhance our brand value. From the start, Virtue demonstrated a results-oriented approach to PR and we are pleased with their impressive performance in the early days of their association with us."

Specific benefits that the Private Jet Charter organisation offers its customers include 24 hour service round the year, multilingual and expert staff, competitive free quotations and advice, unique CATS aircraft sourcing technology, flight watch monitoring on all executive air charter flights. This involves keeping the PA or travel organiser informed of every stage of the journey, from limousine pick-up to take-off, progress of the flight and landing.

Private jet service climbs

Portsmouth, NH - While private jet charter service is nowhere near the robust levels it enjoyed prior to the economic bloodletting of 2008, the use of private jets is definitely on the upswing.

Private jet service in Europe and the U.S. increased 9% in January 2011. Overall, it was up 5.5% last year. Over all, increase in private jet service can be attributed to increased travel of private jets to Russia, Ukraine and Turkey. Private jet service is also popular to western European hot spots.

Private jet service is also showing an increased trend toward bigger jets. Travelers are also taking private jets to large sporting venues.

Of course, with bigger private jets comes more room for style and amenities. As customers order large planes they are ordering media rooms, elegant bars and master bedroom suites. Travelers using private charter jet service are also refining their palets while in the air with cuisine from Wolfgang Puck, David Bouley and David Burke. Many private charter jet service companies such as Charter Auctions are partnering with top-rated restaurants.

About Charter Auction
Charter Auction is an online exchange for private charter jet service pricing, utilizing exclusive aircraft locater technology to make chartering of private jets affordable for our executive travelers. We offer point-to-point, private charter jet service anywhere in the world, at anytime. We also offer additional services including gourmet catering and door-to-door destination services with our private jet service. Our company was established to provide affordable private charter jet service to business travelers and offer guaranteed competitive charter flight prices to travel agents and corporate flight departments. Here at Charter Auction our commitment is to provide aircraft that meet or exceed the most rigorous safety standards in the industry. This allows us to provide the most affordable private charter jet service without ever compromising safety. Please visit us online at www.charterauction.com.

Charter Auction is an online exchange for private charter jet service pricing, utilizing exclusive aircraft locater technology to make chartering of private jets affordable for our executive travelers.

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Portsmouth NH 03801