The 2012 business aviation industry has showed a weak performance. One small improvement was with active turbine corporate aircraft fleet which climbed to more than 29,000 compared to 28,300 in 2011, while the jet fleet has risen by a small 565 to 17,974.

One of the best areas to make improvements is the Asia-Pacific countries, The FlightGlobal Ascend online database shows that this fleet has risen by nearly 150 aircraft to 834 jests and 625 turboprops. The Chinese market shows an impressive fleet gain but China has not turned into the cash cow that was expected by some analysts. It has been suggested by Foley that China has provided “a conveniently timed mini-rescue”, for the aircraft industry. It has been good while it lasted but jet manufactures are now concentrating on preserving orders rather than being in sales mode.

According to Aboulafia a full recovery will only occur when the world’s economies finally stabilize at some time in the future and the jet fleet replacement cycle in the USA is in full swing. USA has the largest business aircraft fleet but the market is fragile.

In Europe the last 12 months have been disastrous with the number of business jet and turboprop fleet reducing by 30 aircraft. This is largely caused by the global recession that has continued to grip this region. Not surprisingly the worst hit countries in Europe are Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Private jet travel is no longer reserved for pop stars and the super rich as a new companies such as NetJets or VistaJets offer pay-as-you-go options with their private fleets, costing anything from £3,000-£8,000 an hour. These private fleets may well be the future for business aviaton.

European private jet business is up nine per cent on last year, and it is easy to see why the option is so popular among the ‘regular’ rich — the bankers and entrepreneurs — for whom first class is just not swanky enough.

In June this year the world’s first corporate aviation showroom for business jet aircraft’ opened on Hyde Park Corner. ‘The Jet Business’ is owned by Steve Varsano from New York. He chose London, he says, because ‘anybody who can afford a jet comes to London’.

Private jet travel remains popular for all those who feel that first class is not classy enough. By going private jet  you can expect to be fast tracked through customs and immigration control, and take as many sharp knives and bottled liquids on board as they desire. Once on the aircraft, flights are usually shorter as business aircraft are often faster than their commercial counterparts.

During this summer’s peak season there were more than 30 private jet landings a day on Ibiza and it is here that the new democratization of private jet travel is most evident. Every weekend at Ibiza Airport you will see banks of jets (four- to seven-seat Citations mainly), each bearing the livery of a different superstar DJ or nightclub.

‘Ten years ago the idea of a DJ demanding a private jet was considered outrageous, but in the past decade it’s almost become an industry standard,’ says Pacha resident DJ Pete Tong. ‘Erick Morillo started it all.’

So despite the economic downturn being suffered across the world, perhaps business aviation still has a rosy future.

Picture courtesy of Boeing

This week we heard that Boeing Business Jets have set a set a new world record for “Speed Over a Recognised Course”.
A Boeing business jet flew non-stop from Los Angeles to Auckland (5,658nm) in in 13h 7min 54s for installation of its VIP interior, according to the official US aviation record keeper, the National Aeronautic Association.

“When we left Los Angeles with full fuel, we were 9,534kg (21,000lb) below our maximum take-off weight,” says BBJ captain and company president Steve Taylor. “This means that the customer can add a full VIP interior, fill all the seats and still carry full fuel and have remarkable range – something our competitor with the same class business jet simply cannot do nonstop,” he adds.
Owned by Samsung Electronics, the aircraft had 3,540kg of fuel remaining when it landed in Auckland and will now undergo interior outfitting at Altitude Aerospace Interiors’ completion facility.

Picture courtesy of Boeing