Chartered Plane Business Gets Fillip From Swine Flu
Posted on Aug 25, 2009 by Reena Daruwalla | Comments 0
The rest of the world may be groaning under the economic and other pressures of the swine flu pandemic but there is one segment of the aviation industry that is enjoying a recent spurt in business which is contrary to industry trends: One of the world’s leading private jet operators, International Air Charter, based in the United Arab Emirates, is reporting a 50% increase in demand over Ramadan for flights in Saudi Arabia, according to this report.
With the swine flu scare, those that can afford it, choose to fly in chartered planes in order to avoid the hoi polloi at airport lounges, for security checks, and check in lines, while sitting in the aircraft in an enclosed space for hours on end.
They choose the exclusivity of chartered flights and the perceived health benefits that they may bring. “Whenever there is a global health scare there is a short term boost to private jet usage amongst the ‘well-heeled’ and their families, and this is the case at the moment,” an analyst with Big Pond Aviation was quoted as having said. As of now, this increased demand seems to be restricted to the Saudi Arabian region where an increased number of people want to travel during Ramadan or Ramzan.
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Posted in: Swine Flu News
