ROYAL Jet president and CEO Shane O’Hare called for a commercial-airline style global alliance for the worldwide private aviation sector at the Global Aerospace Summit which was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, last month.
The Royal Jet CEO emphasised that the private jet market should closely look at the development of global alliances among operators, along similar lines to those in the commercial airline sector. He said that regional growth in private jet travel would need to be supported by more high-quality fixed base operation and maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities.O’Hare also predicted that the regional market for private jet travel would grow at 6 to 8 per cent in the region this year and next, with Royal Jet itself forecasting around 6 per cent growth in 2014. O’Hare further commented that there was a need to take into account the requirements of VIP customers when planning airport investment and infrastructure. “Major airports need to either encourage private investment in the development of improved Fixed Base Operation facilities or invest in their own infrastructure as this sector grows,” O’Hare said.“Some major airports process VIP private jet customers through airline terminals, which defeats the primary reasons for private jet travel: speed, security and privacy. Even the provision of adequate parking for business jets needs to be factored into investment plans.O’Hare told delegates that he predicted more consolidation at the smaller end of the private aviation sector due to competitive pressure. At the higher end of the market, the quality of product and service delivery would determine which companies survived and thrived, he said.“Some people believe the private jet industry is driven by price, but I believe that the keys to success are product and service,” he told the audience at a panel session on business aviation. “Price is a factor, certainly, but the future belongs to those operators who excel at product and service delivery.”