Hotelier Erwin Jager is entering the luxury helicopter charter business with an eye to providing an air link between airports and high-end resort hotels, as well as sightseeing flights for guests. Jager is chairman of Barrows Hotel Enterprises, which manages over 10,000 hotel rooms in more than 10 countries, specializing in the MENA region—including West Africa.
Jager said the helicopter service will start next year with two Airbus helicopters fitted with VIP interiors, but his goal is to have 10 helicopters in service by 2025. Financing for the rotorcraft would come via a long-term bond loan, he said.
The impetus for the service came from Jager’s own experience of the long ground commutes between Barrows’ luxury properties and airports in locations such as Barbados, Maldives, Bora Bora, Mauritius, Seychelles, and the Bahamas. “The idea came because we often arrived at our hotel locations tired and stressed after hours of travel. A luxury chauffeur service offers some comfort on short distances, but certainly not if you have to travel longer than 45 minutes between the airport and the final destination,” Jager said.