Royal Jet bookings up 15% on GCC demand

Abu Dhabi-based Royal Jet yesterday reported a 15 per cent increase in its VIP charter business this summer compared to the same period last year. According to the luxury executive flight services company, bookings have increased from clients throughout the GCC, which shows a strong regional demand for charter flights. "We are finding that within the GCC there is a strong demand – with a steady stream of bookings from Qatar and, especially, Saudi Arabia, where our recent alliance with Arabsco has led to a surge of interest from the kingdom," said Shane O'Hare, President and CEO of Royal Jet. In part, O'Hare said, this was also due to a down-pricing policy that the company introduced a few months ago within the region. He said previously prices were calculated based on where the aircraft originally became airborne. "Now we price the charter from where the guests board their flight. This has led to dramatic reductions in charter rates – sometimes by as much as 20 per cent," he added. O'Hare said there has been an encouraging response to the introduction of Royal Jet's own charter brokerage service, based in Dubai, which started operations six months ago. "We are very happy with the initial level of bookings being generated through our own brokerage, which provides tailor-made travel solutions by sourcing appropriate aircraft for charters through a network of carefully audited operators," he said. According to O'Hare, there is a strong demand for flights into and out of Europe this summer, and, being a global service, Royal Jet can find the right aircraft at the best price for any journey. He added that Royal Jet's strategy has been of diversification into different service offerings, which has protected it from the worst of the economic turbulence. "The brokerage service is a key aspect of Royal Jet's growth strategy and is in line with the company's policy of increasing diversification into a range of complementary activities. These also include FBO [fixed-base operations] facilities, an aircraft management and acquisition consultancy, medical evacuation services and the core aircraft charter business," he said. Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the Emirates Business 24|7 daily newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here .