The exceptional nature of the Covid-19 pandemic led to emergency travel, in particular to repatriate travellers stranded abroad. Traditional airlines were called upon - and still are - but thebusiness aviation has also seen its demand change with the imminent closure of the borders. A study published by PrivateFly points to significant changes in private jet reservations carried out on its platform. " The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our daily lives in almost every respect, and business aviation has not been spared. "says Adam TwidellCEO of PrivateFly, who describes " A very different market and behaviour from previous years ". As a result, the time between booking and take-off has been significantly reduced. The majority of passengers (60%) booked their flight in the week before take-off and 23% of them booked the day before or the same day, compared with 15% in 2019.
Another finding of the Privatefly study is that the average flight distance has increased in this context of repatriation. The use of super-midsize and long-haul private jets has almost doubled, rising from 18% of all jets leased in 2019 to 34%.
As for the chronology of events, the variations in demand correspond well to the different phases observed worldwide, and to the measures adopted in response to the pandemic. " From mid-February onwards, we concentrated mainly on repatriations and evacuations.notes Adam Twidell. March was a particularly busy month, with an exceptionally high number of requests and much more flight activity than last year. ". According to the Privatefly study, demand peaked on 17 MarchThis is the date on which the highest number of take-offs took place, and also the date on which confinement began in France. A 'storm' that should be followed by a worrying calm, as the CEO of Privatefly fears: " the coming weeks will be difficult for us and for the industry as a whole "warns Adam Twidell.
