Düsseldorf-based Hahn Air Lines is enjoying a 60 per cent increase in charter activity this year when compared to 2015 and 2016. Its fleet consists of two 2007-build refurbished Citation Sovereigns and a 2013-build CJ4. General manager and COO Daniel Rudas says that bookings tend to follow a familiar pattern: “During the summer months there is high demand for the Mediterranean area, so we perform flights to the Balearic Islands such as Ibiza and Majorca, and also to France, particularly the Cote d'Azur.

“I believe the reason [for the rise] is that there is an awful lot of turmoil in the airline industry. We are seeing a paradigm shift for wealthy people who normally fly first class on scheduled airlines. They are tired of waiting for hours at big airports, queuing in security lines and going through tedious boarding processes, not to mention dealing with a lot of delays. For the people who can afford it, it is more convenient to organise a private business jet to fly them to their destination. “We are still looking to improve the empty leg situation and are working with different providers and brokers,” Rudas adds.

“We are making use of the internet and online brokers to fill seats on the empty legs. By autumn we will have the figures for three quarters of the year, then we will make plans for 2018.”