Expectations within the charter market are high in the Middle East, according to Ammar Balkar, vp of sales and marketing at UAE-based Royal Jet Group. The company recently added to its fleet with the delivery of a Challenger 300.

“Our clients believe that service is very important and people expect a high standard in all respects,” said Balkar. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that Royal Jet boasts royalty among its list of clients.

The charter firm has an impressive client base that includes royal figures, heads of state and government officials from the Middle East and Africa; plus numerous businessmen, musicians and sports celebrities – many of whom travel with an entourage of family members, business associates and staff.

With such extensive travel requirements from clients, another of the company’s aircraft, a BBJ, is proving very popular, often because it can incorporate state rooms and separate bedrooms onboard, or provide enough available space to divide the more distinguished guests from the rest of the travelling party, according to Balkar.

The Challenger began operations in September and is expected to fly within the Middle East region and Europe. The company had originally ordered two CL300s last year, but later decided to cancel one of the orders to test the demand for one aircraft before acquiring a second, sometime next year.

Although Royal Jet considered other similar aircraft types, it chose the CL300 in response to client demand for a mid-size aircraft. The nine-seat aeroplane has a vip configuration and a range of 3,000nm. The super-midsize jet can reach speeds of up to Mach 0.82 and has a maximum operating altitude of 45,000 feet.

Other aircraft in the fleet include four BBJs, two of which arrived in July 2005, and two Gulfstream G300s.

Although the company’s charter service generates much of its income, Royal Jet Group’s air ambulance service constitutes 30 per cent of the company’s business.