Austrian air taxi operator GlobeAir is continuing to take advantage of Mustang market growth in Europe, and CEO Bernhard Fragner says that this is occurring thanks to new entrants to the private jet arena, as well as those downgrading from larger aircraft.

“We are continuing on the upwards curve that we have been on,” he states. “If you look at industry statistics from WingX or EBAA, you see a slight decline in the overall market in terms of movements in Europe. However, the Mustang market is growing. Very often this is a downgrading process from large aircraft, but interestingly we are also seeing new customers. Online platforms such as Stratajet, PrivateFly, Lunajets, Fly Victor and many others are doing an extra-ordinary job in terms of picking out customers who have never flown on a private jet before.

“That is the big strength of those platforms and it seems to have boosted the VLJ sector in two ways. Firstly the investment in marketing has been fundamental to educating the market, and secondly, these platforms have pioneered instant booking technology, making the air charter service easily accessible to the end user. They have reinvented and simplified the process.”

Fragner says that it is possible to stay 'almost anonymous' when booking a private jet these days, which is very desirable for many business travellers. Though his company flies VLJs, he doesn't feel that the Mustang's range is a limiting factor. “It is true that we cannot operate family trips for up to five or six people, requested during the summer season, and it is also true that normally the principal is the one who flies most frequently. He normally accompanies the family and the nanny to the holiday destination, and after a few days he goes back to work using a smaller jet. But we have plenty of traffic that we can cater to.”

GlobeAir recently completed significant cabin interior upgrades for its fleet, a vital step in Fragner's view: “Customising the travel experience is more needed than ever, so we aimed at creating an elevating experience at 33,000 feet in a completely new and modern environment,” he continues.

“It was a two-year project to get the approvals and so on. My team turned around the whole fleet within a few months and refurbished them. The customer reception has been really great. In particular frequent flyers, who had the chance to compare the old cabin designs with the new ones, provided great feedback.

“Creating bespoke interiors by replacing standard materials with high end Italian leather gives a completely new feeling to the passenger on board, who expects a certain level of sophistication at every stage of the trip.”

In terms of routes, he says that popular pairs are still stable. “The Balearic Islands are really picking up heavily with flights going to Ibiza or Palma. Last year we saw much more activity than we have seen in the years before. Greece is also very popular, particularly its islands. People are no longer travelling to Turkey due to the uncertain situation and safety problems. There is instead a new promising destination in the Balkan area that is attracting the European elite, the glamorous country of Montenegro, which is expected to become the second Monte Carlo.

“We also saw more business out of London. We would hesitate to say that this is because of Brexit, as it could be the economy growing….we are not sure. But compared to all other growth and business destinations like Geneva and Paris, we see much more demand in London.”

Late last year, Blink and Wijet, two other European Mustang operators, joined forces and fleets. Fragner says that this has not impacted the market either positively or negatively so far: “We know the numbers of the market quite well, and what each company does. If you combine Blink's stats with those of Wijet, that is exactly the sum of the combined business now. There hasn't been any shift in market share in either direction though they may well work on the combined fleet to achieve greater efficiency. I think that would be their main focus at the moment.

“We are quite happy with how the business is developing and we are more committed than ever to focus on this segment. We are looking forward to adding at least three more aircraft very soon, because we see that there is growth potential,” he concludes.