Summer means peak charter season in Europe, but last year that season witnessed a shortage of aircraft, landing slots, and parking spaces. Operators, brokers, and support professionals report that the charter community is better prepared for the onslaught this year, and those exhibiting at EBACE 2023 are eager to discuss needs and solutions with attendees. Indeed, whatever the charter mission or location, whatever the season, the access answer can likely be found at the Geneva Palexpo show venue this week.
Supply-wise, data “indicates that the pool of aircraft available for charter has increased,” B2B booking platform Avinode Group (Booth F62) told AIN, and the number of charter aircraft marketed through its site has risen 5 percent since last summer, the Swedish company said.
Operators are “increasing fleet size where they can” to meet anticipated demand, echoed a spokesperson at UK-based global brokerage Air Partner, and new jet card and block charter programs are adding to access options. Additionally, some operators have introduced recently acquired light jets and turboprops—aircraft well suited to European routes—to their charter fleets, bolstering capacity for lower-cost access.
Switzerland-based Global Jet (Booth Z98), for example, added five aircraft to its charter fleet in recent months, ranging from an Embraer Phenom 300 and Pilatus PC-24 at the light end to a pair of Bombardier Global 6000s—one with a three-zone cabin with extensive entertainment systems, the other a 14-passenger executive configuration—as well as a Boeing 737-700 VIP airliner.
Bremen, Germany-based Atlas Air Service (Booth M61) operates Cessna Citation, Embraer, Gulfstream G150 and G280, and Hawker 400 business jets; and Beechcraft King Air, Daher TBM, and Pilatus PC-12 turboprops. Its charter aircraft are based in five locations in Germany and Switzerland, and with recently acquired MRO subsidiaries in Augsburg, Germany, and Altenrhein, Switzerland, Atlas now offers a full suite of business aviation services.
Switzerland-based charter-management firm Sparfell (Booth T51) has some 30 jets, including an Embraer Phenom 100, Legacys, and Praetor 600; Cessna Citation CJ2+; Bombardier Challenger 300/350s and Globals; Gulfstream G650ER; and Dassault Falcon 7X. Its network of partner providers offers access to many more.
Summer Looks Hot for Air Charter
But demand is keeping pace with the increased supply. Despite a cooling of charter activity early this year seen in some tracking data, “The summer months are ahead of where they were in 2022,” said an Avinode spokesperson. “Based on the early demand in Europe, I wouldn't be surprised if the summer months outperform current industry expectations.”
In the wake of its acquisition last year by U.S. charter and access program provider Wheels Up, Air Partner expects to see more demand from U.S. customers coming through its new parent company this summer, in addition to its own customer base. To prepare, Air Partner has been “investing in our operator relationships,” which will be “vital” to deal with “anticipated demand and slot and airport capacity restrictions,” the company said. It cited Ibiza, Majorca, and Malaga in Spain; Faro, Portugal; Olbia, Italy; Mykonos, Greece; and Nice, France, as top destinations.
Last summer, high demand and a spike in fuel costs drove big increases in hourly rates. Air Partner anticipates comparable costs this summer, despite lower fuel prices.
“For a light jet to operate from Farnborough [in the UK] to Ibiza on the first weekend of the school holidays in July, you would be looking at a rate of between £15k and £20k [$18,666 and $24,895; €16,970 and €22,630]," the company said. “That’s not necessarily what you would end up paying if you left it to the last minute.”
Many charter customers discovered Eastern Europe in 2021 when it remained open to vaccinated travelers while much of the rest of the continent was closed by Covid. As it reopened last summer, Western Europe received the brunt of Continental demand. Still, travelers may head east again this year, said Gareth Danker, a director at Prague-based support provider Euro Jet Intercontinental (Booth L98).
“A lot of people got their fix dealing with the crowds and the expense of flying to the south of France and the Italian Riviera last summer,” Danker said. He suggested that this year, “More people may say, ‘Let’s go back to Eastern Europe, let’s go back to Croatia and Montenegro.’”
Euro Jet provides ground handling, flight permits, landing permits, and parking services at some 170 airports in 30 countries, and over the past two years has opened and renovated crew lounges in Belgrade, Serbia, and Pristina, Kosovo. The company is now renovating its flagship lounge in Prague, Czech Republic, and has added office space in Rzeszow, Poland, the center for flights carrying people and cargo to Ukraine.
ABS Jets (Booth Z109) serves Eastern Europe with nine midsize and heavy business jets from its headquarters at Václav Havel Airport in Prague and Bratislava Airport in Slovakia. With a safety culture overseen by its quality and safety department, ABS Jets is IS-BAH Stage 3 registered.
Turkey’s long-established Pan Aviation recently introduced Pan Jet charter service (Booth P49). Established in the 1990s, Pan has been providing air ambulance and other charter services under its own air operator certificate (AOC) since 2003, and today flies an aeromedical-configured Cessna Citation Bravo. Pan Jet’s charter will focus on providing business, personal, and family travel from its base at Ankara Esenboga Airport.
Programs To Match Customer Needs
Meanwhile, operators and brokers are offering a variety of access options, providing customers with more choices and chances to find a program that matches their needs. VistaJet International (Booth H98, Static Display AD_01) recently introduced its VJ25 program to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Aimed at travelers with flexible schedules flying 25 to 49 hours per year and offered as a three-year subscription, VJ25 provides guaranteed on-demand access to the Vista fleet of more than 360 aircraft worldwide, including its flagship ultra-long-range Bombardier Global 7500. Fixed hourly rates apply 325 days per year, with dynamic rates on 40 high-demand days. 
Last year, Vista—with the acquisitions of Germany’s Air Hamburg and Jet Edge in the U.S.—added a net 117 aircraft to its fleet. It has access to more than 2,100 additional alliance partner jets. Also in 2022, the group’s business in Europe was up 29 percent year-over-year, across both the VistaJet and XO online brokerage brands, Dubai, UAE-based Vista said.
Global business aviation services provider Jet Aviation (Booth E50) operates a charter fleet of more than 100 business aircraft and has “access to thousands more,” all available through its on-demand, block charter, and jet card offerings. Jet Aviation’s new Freedom Access plan combines the best of its block charter and jet card features, which include global guaranteed availability and round-trip discounts.
In preparation for the summer season, Jet Aviation has worked “closely with our [managed aircraft] customers and partners to expand our fleet and make even more choices available,” the company told AIN, and last fall the Swiss company added a BBJ to its charter fleet.
Since its founding in the chairman’s former basement in 1990, UK-based Air Charter Service (ACS; Booth S30) has grown into a global brokerage with more than 500 on staff, arranging some 23,000 charter flights annually. Its Empyrean Jet Card provides worldwide access and offers three pricing plans: market, based on dynamic pricing; gold, based on capped dynamic pricing; and platinum, block charter at a set per-hour rate. Deposited funds are held in a third-party bank account, ensuring financial security, and ACS’s dedicated concierge service is available 24/7.
Brokers report that some operators, swamped by demand and requests for quotes, declined to take on additional business last summer but are now “keen to chase the business that is out there,” as Air Partner said.
One critical downside for providers is that “fraud and cybercrime increase during peak seasons,” said Avinode, as criminals try to exploit the increased pressure faced by charter sales and finance teams, as well as temporary staff. Greater security measures and automation may be in order “if the charter company’s payment routines rely too much on manual processes,” the company said, noting that Avinode’s Paynode platform provides such transaction security.
Some technology companies also provide software and other services for business aviation designed to answer digital processing needs. In fact, MySky (Booth S105) offers cost and control software developed for charter operations, and its new MySky Quote can help with the summer surge via auto-quoting, allowing operators to reply more quickly with accurate quotes.
“Obviously, you cannot have two times more people on the payroll the whole year to cope with the demand of four months,” said MySky co-founder and global strategy director Chris Marich. The software’s quoting engine is informed by dynamic pricing algorithms, and the product also serves as “a revenue management tool” that supports customized revenue strategies, enabling customers to “maximize the profit they can turn on the aircraft,” Marich said.
The Swiss company has some 300 customers with a total of 700 aircraft using its software. The quoting engine is currently available only for Europe, but MySky has announced plans to bring it to the Middle East and Africa.
Ground Support
Serving behind the scenes, ground support services provide the personnel and the contacts that aviation relies on for the final—and first—mile. With their regional expertise, the handling services exhibiting this week in Geneva can also address travel questions and needs, whether from charter professionals, aircraft owners, or business aviation customers.
General Aviation Service (Booth E44) has been synonymous with flight handling services in Spain almost since its founding in 1979 and operates FBOs in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Granada, Girona, and Ibiza. The company is staffed by some 100 service professionals.
Latvia’s Flight Consulting Group (Booth I54) offers comprehensive flight support, ground handling, and charter arrangements, and has support contracts with some 100 business jets. In its more than 20 years of business, the company has served more than 135,000 flights at 2,600 airports in 140 countries. Its subsidiary FCG OPS also provides international trip support, and dispatch and ground handling services at more than 40 airports in the region. For traffic heading to Latvia, FBO Riga, another holding, operates a state-of-the-art business aviation center at Riga International Airport.
AN Aviation Services (Booth O82), founded in 1991, specializes in ground handling and flight support in Egypt and UAE, with offices at every airport in both countries and an extensive network of supervisory agents throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Mediterranean Aviation Services (Booth M90), headquartered in Dubai, offers trip planning, air charter, flight permitting, and ground handling worldwide. Founded in 2005, it offers a network of operational partners and exclusive contracts with major fuel and aviation service providers to ensure customers high quality and value.
Flight support specialist UAS International Trip Support (Booth A29), established in 2000, has been used by heads of state, VVIPs, Fortune Global 500 companies, and business jet operators worldwide. It has a presence in more than 30 countries and embraces “game-changing technology solutions designed specifically for business aviation” to enhance operations and service delivery. In December, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based charter operator Alpha Star named UAS its preferred partner.