Light jet specialist GlobeAir is drawing up a recovery plan to tackle the expected demand for private jet flights after European lockdown measures start to be lifted.

GlobeAir has been operative during the COVID-19 crisis offering its private jet services to those who must continue to travel. Today, the company is confident that private jet charters will be the first to be fully operational again after all of the major commercial airlines have been grounded indefinitely. It says agile private jet charter operators will be able to ramp up their activities much faster than scheduled airlines.

During the COVID-19 crisis, GlobeAir has seen a surge in demand from diplomats, medical staff and travellers needing to repatriate. In light of a lack of commercial flight availability, the company has been offering complimentary last-minute flights for these categories of travellers to support the communities impacted by the crisis. Relief flights contributed to the initial increase in private jet flights in the first weeks of March while commercial airlines saw an almost 87 per cent YOY decrease in European operations, according to data from Eurocontrol.

Demand for cargo services has remained rather stable all over Europe with air freight being an essential means of transport for urgent medical supplies. While commercial airlines' cargo due to be shipped in and out of Europe dropped by one per cent, GlobeAir registered a 2.8 per cent increase in flights in March 2020 compared to March 2019.

The initial growth in private jet demand registered at the beginning of the crisis was followed by a dramatic plummet in requests, signalling a drop of 34 per cent in unscheduled flights (source: EBAA). Many success stories, however, have been reinforcing the notion that business aviation plays a crucial role in society.

GlobeAir alone has helped families reunite by flying children of divorced couples from one country to another. As well as this, solo pet flights have increased with families looking forward to welcoming their new puppies at home regardless of the crisis and ensuring that they could spend their lockdown with their four-legged friends.

As the pandemic curve shows signs of flattening in many European countries, some governments have started to be more indulgent, lifting some strict lockdown policies. Austria was one of the first; small shops have been open there since 14 April. Similar measures are expected from many other European countries picturing a more optimistic outlook.

Travellers have seen their journeys disrupted, cancelled or delayed and there is reason to believe that people will want to claim their holidays again, if not in the summer, then in the early months of autumn. Among the many initiatives taken to help the economy, GlobeAir is offering 10 per cent off every flight booked and paid for online. Travellers will be able to use the voucher code EARLYBIRD10 to secure their private jet flight for a future flexible departure date. Not only does the promotion grant a 10 per cent discount on any private jet flight offered by GlobeAir, but it also adds the privilege of scheduling trips for whenever the client likes.