BBGA Members RVL have published the latest edition of the RVL Sector Update. Published monthly to help you stay up-to-speed with recent news stories from around the sector that caught the eye of Dave Connor, David Lacy and the rest of the RVL Management Team.

https://www.rvl-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/RVL-Sector-Update-20-Oct-2020.pdf

• Research points to first time flyer increase with 44% of flights for new bookers
• A rise in the number of families flying, with 20% of passengers children – and double the number of flights with pets onboard
• Travel uncertainty is clear with 55% of clients flying within a week and fewer forward bookings, but PrivateFly is “cautiously optimistic” about the months ahead

London, UK, 13 October 2020: PrivateFly, a Directional Aviation company, launched its Q3 Private Jet Charter Trends report which revealed 44% of bookers were flying for the first time, and more clients booking at short notice, with so much uncertainty around travel. 

The findings come in response to a move away from commercial airlines, badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as passengers sought ‘safer’ ways to fly. 

The worldwide slump in international business travel meant that most flights over the period were for personal or leisure travel.

The report also showed bookings by families had taken off, with a rise in the percentage of children being carried from 14% last year to 20% this year – and an increase from 3% to 7% of family pets onboard.

All PrivateFly’s top 20 destinations are in Europe for the first time, with London in first place and Nice and Ibiza in second and third place, following the collapse in long-haul travel due to widespread travel restrictions.

And consumer uncertainty around travel plans was clear, with the lead time between booking and flying shortening: 55% of PrivateFly customers chose to fly within a week of booking and just 8% booked a flight more than 30 days in advance (versus 22% in 2019). 

Adam Twidell, PrivateFly CEO, said: “With private aviation offering a safer way to fly during the pandemic and a pent-up demand for personal travel, demand was high in Q3, compared to airline travel. In fact, at PrivateFly we arranged slightly more flights in Q3 this year than last year, outperforming the overall European market.

“However, our passenger mix is changing noticeably, with far more families and first-time flyers than before. There’s also a trend amongst our existing clients who used a mix of private jets and airline flights, to fly private more frequently going forwards. That’s why in August we launched our new PrivateFly Jet Card, which offers fixed hourly rates and guaranteed availability to those who fly more often.

“October demand is looking reasonably strong so far, but what will happen next is harder to predict for the entire industry, with so much uncertainty in the market.

“Bookings continue to trend short-notice and business travel is still lower than usual, although corporate clients are researching and budgeting. But we are cautiously optimistic about the coming months. For those who want and need to fly, the appeal of private jet travel remains compelling.” 

Other findings from the PrivateFly Q3 report include:

• The most popular day and time for a take-off with PrivateFly was 11am on a Saturday, with 46% taking place between Friday and Sunday, and August 15 the busiest single day during Q3

• Behind the statistics there are stories of PrivateFly going the extra mile for clients. One flight was a spectacular window seat view of the Northern Lights for a client with a life-limiting illness and her family

• Other flights included many for sports stars, looking to move in and out of overseas fixtures as quickly and safely as possible during the pandemic. One world-class athlete booked to fly at just over three hours’ notice, as she returned from a tournament in Rome.

-Ends-

For more information, please contact The PC Agency

Paul Charles / Michael Johnson / Balint Brunner

privatefly@pc.agency

+44 (0)20 7768 0001

Notes to editors:

A copy of the report and accompanying images are available to download here via Dropbox

About PrivateFly:

PrivateFly is a leading international provider of on-demand private jet charter and jet cards, and part of Directional Aviation. With thousands of accredited aircraft integrated worldwide, PrivateFly combines innovative technology with a team of aviation experts, available 24/7 – making it faster and easier to arrange a private jet, wherever and whenever you want to fly.

PrivateFly holds Argus Certified Broker and Wyvern Broker best practice accreditations and is a preferred partner of Virtuoso, the world’s leading luxury travel network. Established in 2008, PrivateFly’s Global Headquarters are located in St Albans, UK.

Balint Brunner | Senior Account Executive | The PC Agency

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Redline, an Air Partner company and a leading provider of global security solutions, has further grown its customer base in the airport sector, recently winning a new 3-year contract with Guernsey Airport to carry out cabin baggage screening x-ray threat image recognition training (TIRT) among a number of its staff.

Contract renewals have also been secured with existing airport customers in a demonstration of continued trust in Redline’s services. Birmingham Airport has extended its TIRT contract while Belfast International Airport has renewed its contract for Redline’s security management system (SeMS), having seen the benefits the system offers when it was used during a prior Quality Assurance project at the airport.

These business wins have contributed to Redline’s strong start in the second half of Air Partner’s financial year, alongside good sales for its Department for Transport (DfT) training courses and another TIRT contract renewal with World Courier, a specialist medical logistics company. In total, Redline has now secured 17 contract wins and 19 renewals since joining the Air Partner group in December 2019.

Redline is currently seeing a good level of demand for its user-friendly and technically sophisticated COVID-19 secure TIRT system, which has been designed to finetune x-ray image screeners’ ability to detect even the smallest components of viable threats. Its proprietary SeMS, which allows managers to effectively assess and manage risk in an ever-changing threat environment, is also gaining good traction with customers: earlier in the year, Redline was appointed to develop and deliver a robust SeMS for ISS Australia and New Zealand, the first of its kind in Australia.

Mark Briffa, CEO of Air Partner, commented: “Redline secured a number of good business wins with a diverse range of customers throughout the first half of the year, including the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Align JV to support on an HS2 project. I am very pleased to see this momentum continue into H2, with airports continuing to place their trust in us and invest in our services. The level of contract wins and renewals we are seeing serves to demonstrate the quality of Redline’s varied security solutions, and the value they offer both new and existing customers.”

Paul Mason, Managing Director of Air Partner’s Safety & Security division, added: “Redline’s service offering continues to gain traction with airports, among others. Our threat image recognition training and security management system offerings are industry-leading, and we look forward to rolling them out to even more customers in the coming months and years to further bolster their security capabilities.”

ENDS  

Enquiries:     

TB Cardew (Financial PR advisor to Air Partner)	020 7930 0777
Alycia MacAskill	07876 222 703
Joe McGregor	07766 231 520

About Air Partner:

Founded in 1961, Air Partner is a global aviation services group providing aircraft charter and aviation safety & security solutions to industry, commerce, governments and private individuals, across civil and military organisations. The Group has two divisions: Air Partner Charter, comprising Group Charter, Private Jets, Freight and Specialist Services; and Air Partner Safety & Security (formerly Consulting & Training), which comprises Baines Simmons, Redline Assured Security and Managed Services. 

Group Charter charters large airliners to move groups of any size. Private Jets offers the Company’s unique pre-paid JetCard scheme and on-demand charter for up to 19 people. Freight charters aircraft of every size to fly almost any cargo anywhere, at any time. Specialist Services comprises Air Partner’s other aviation services that complement its Charter business: Remarketing, ACMI, scheduled group travel, tour operations, air evacuation and flight operations.

Baines Simmons offers aviation safety management and fatigue risk management. Redline Assured Security delivers government-standard security training, consultancy and solutions to regulated, high value and high threat environments. Managed Services offers wildlife hazard management and aircraft registry services.

Air Partner has 16 locations globally, with its headquarters located alongside Gatwick airport in the UK. The group employs over 400 aviation professionals globally and operates 24/7. Air Partner is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIR) and is the only publicly listed air charter broker and aviation safety & security consultancy. It is ISO 9001:2015 compliant for commercial airline and private jet solutions worldwide. More information is available on the Company’s website (www.airpartner.com).

About Redline:

Established in 2006, Redline provides government-standard global security solutions for aviation, rail, Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and major event and corporate establishments, as well as other high-risk businesses. Redline conducts auditing and quality assurance on behalf of both public and private sector organisations, as well as various government agencies. Its range of products and services spans the entire security training, quality assurance and consultancy spectrum and includes technology-based software applications and tools, such as its digital Security Management System (SeMS) platform and e-Learning.

Redline is a UK industry leader in all matters regarding security and quality assurance through audits and covert and overt testing and has been providing training for over 13 years from its headquarters at the National Security Training Centre (NSTC) at Doncaster Sheffield Airport. With over 100 employees in offices in Doncaster, London and Paris, this ISO9001 company operates at the highest levels of aviation security with a notable record of achievement at G2G (government-to-government) and B2G (business-to-government) undertakings.

Redline has a significant national and international client base, many of whom use Redline as their sole supplier for their security requirements. Redline is endorsed by ICAO as an Aviation Security Training Centre (ASTC).

More information is available on the company’s website (www.trustredline.co.uk).

Osprey Flight Solutions is delighted to announce the appointment of Tim Willis as Director, Government Client Development.

Osprey is on a trajectory of significant growth and Tim is a key hire for the business, bringing broad industry and senior management experience to the company. As a highly accomplished business developer, most recently within SaaS and corporate risk, Tim joins Osprey in order to strengthen and
expand the business’ current proposition by developing new opportunities, predominantly within the government sector.

Commenting on the appointment, CEO & Co-Founder, Andrew Nicholson, said: “With a strong track record of building client relationships and delivering exceptional results, Tim brings a wealth of experience and valuable knowledge to the team here which will be vital as we continue our
ambitious plans to grow and develop the business. His experience and understanding of the sector, as well as his strong work ethic, will be a real asset to us here at Osprey and we are delighted to have him on
board.”

Tim Willis also commented:
“I have followed Osprey’s journey with interest since the very beginning and have watched as the business has evolved to what it is today – an established, well-respected industry-leader in its field . I am thrilled to
be part of such an innovative and dynamic business and am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead.”

About Osprey Flight Solutions
Setting the standard for aviation risk analysis
Founded in 2017, Osprey fuses real-time information, technology and industry leading expertise to deliver the most advanced aviation risk analysis available anywhere. Our revolutionary data-driven approach
provides instant situational intelligence to power dynamic decision making. Being able to see, understand and react to threats as they emerge sets a new standard for ensuring the safety and security of passengers, crew and aircraft. Because risk isn’t static in a fast-moving, turbulent world. Find out more here.

Leading aircraft charter and leasing specialist, Air Charter Service, has announced the appointment of Scott Collier as Director of Aircraft Leasing EMEA. Scott brings with him more than 20 years’ experience in the airline industry.

Justin Bowman, Air Charter Service’s CEO, commented: “Scott has extensive experience across all areas of the industry, including tour operating and airline operations, as well as in the commercial sector and even running his own leasing company. His wealth of experience and expertise will be a huge asset for our team and, whilst the aircraft leasing industry is going through a tough time at the moment, this hire highlights ACS’s commitment to the long term in terms of airline support.

“Throughout this pandemic, ACS’s geographic and business type diversity has meant that the company has been continuously busy, with evacuation flights, PPE cargo charters and workforce logistics flights for the oil & gas and mining industries, to name but a few. This means that we are fortunate enough to currently find ourselves in an extremely strong financial position and able to offer our customers peace of mind when booking with us.”

Collier added: “I’m really excited about the new challenge ahead. After years of watching Air Charter Service’s successes, I’m very much looking forward to being part of the team here. With the truly global reach and ancillary services that we are able to offer our airline customers at ACS, we are looking to go from strength to strength over the coming years”.

Along with the leasing side of ACS’s business, the company also offers cargo flights, on board couriers and private jets for crew movements in order to support the airline industry even further. Last year ACS arranged more than 23,000 charter flights across all its divisions.
www.aircharterservice.com

~ENDS~

About Air Charter Service

Air Charter Service is a global aircraft charter broker with 27 worldwide offices, spanning all six major continents and we offer private jet, commercial airliner and cargo aircraft charters, as well as onboard courier solutions. We arrange more than 23,000 charter flights annually with revenue of close to 700 million dollars. We were formed in 1990 by Chairman Chris Leach and CEO Justin Bowman in the basement of a house, and we now employ more than 450 staff worldwide.

For more information, an interview or additional images please contact:
Glenn Phillips / PR & Advertising Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8339 8593 /+44 (0) 7799 692 629
Email: glenn.phillips@aircharterservice.com