GlobeAir reports a record-busting July for private jet flights in Europe

Very Light Jet operator GlobeAir says year-over-year flights in July were up 8.6% with net sales jumping 11.3%

GlobeAir is adding to the good news coming from Europe. Last week NetJets announced it was hiring back furloughed pilots at its subsidiary there. It also said it was reversing plans to ground some of its European fleet there it had designated for retirement.

WingX, the business aviation analyst, reported through the first three weeks of July, private jet travel in Europe had rebounded to 85% of pre-COVID-19 levels.

Now Globe Air, operator of very light jets, is reporting strong results as well.

For the month, net sales increased by 11.3% compared to 2019. Its Cessna Citation Mustang fleet made 1,288 flights, an 8.6% year-over-year gain.

The four-seat private jets flew with two passengers on average, landing at 185 airports, 6.1% below the norm.

Nice, Geneva lead for GlobeAir

Nice as the most popular destination followed by Geneva with Geneva-Paris being the busiest city pair. Olbia and Ibiza were the two biggest summer spots.

GlobeAir CEO Bernhard Fragner said a combination of limited schedules by commercial airlines and COVID-19 avoidance are driving demand.

Fragner noted July was the first full month of normal operations after travel restrictions that ran from March through June.

Bookings for August look even better, Fragner tells Private Jet Card Comparisons. At the end of July, advanced reservations are 16% higher than they were in June for July.

Customers are also making decisions faster. The lag from quote to booking dropped from five to three days, he says.

What’s more, pricing is solid. “The expected price battle is not happening, Price quality is 1% up compared to pricing average last July,” Fragner says.

Still, GlobeAir’s year-to-date sales are down 27%. In a post on LinkedIn, the business aviation boss credited his team.

The industry can also credit Fragner. Research from GlobeAir provided tangible evidence of the significant social distancing advantages for private jets compared to the airlines.

The study he directed that identified over 700 touchpoints when flying with the airlines versus less than 20 via private jet. It has been widely quoted in global media, including here, as well as by other private aviation providers.