A sharp upturn in demand is making Skyjet International very
happy indeed. Since the London-based offshoot of Bombardier's Skyjet charter
operation was launched in January, it has found itself in a buoyant market,
driven by an increasing need among customers to go out and do business in
person.
Skyjet took the place of the unsuccessful FlexJet fractional
ownership program outside the U.S., and the difference between the two could
not now be more marked. Judith Moreton, managing director, Bombardier Skyjet International,
told Show News, "Last year our customers typically made modest commitments,
buying aircraft in 25- to 50-hour blocks. This year 100 or 200 hours is the
norm. Europe, Russia and the Middle East are selling very strongly for us right
now. Just as Bombardier is selling aircraft, we are selling charters.
"Since the beginning of 2005 we've seen our Skyjet business
grow by 30%. We've now exceeded our pre-9/11 numbers and that's because the
U.S. is traveling again with confidence, and using business aviation to do so.
The companies with international faces are doing much more business."
Moreton's upbeat message about trends contradicts some of
the conventional wisdom that Europe is on rocky economic ground— with Germany,
France and others stuck in the doldrums, and consumer confidence ebbing away in
the UK. The U.S. economic picture is far from rosy, also— but, she says, "there
will always be large corporations who are doing well. However, what is
happening increasingly today is that senior management are traveling to extend
their personal reach and do business face-to-face. They are going to China, to
India— all of business is looking to the East. That's not a trend that's
starting up; it's underway, it's happening right now. That outlook is strong in
the U.S., but it's even stronger in Europe.
"Some of our larger clients in the technology and banking
spheres have offices in London, New York and Paris— and Dubai or Riyadh. Now
they are looking at Hong Kong or elsewhere in China. I hesitate to use that
tired old phrase 'global economy,' but that's what we're in. And it's run by
people. And people need to travel. They are the glue that holds it all
together."
What Moreton notes as most intriguing is a sudden rise in
interest among customers to start using "commercial" flight services for
personal reasons— for example, the CEOs who are now contracting Skyjet to take
themselves and their families on holiday. Says Moreton, "The demand for leisure
flying, particularly with smaller aircraft, is going up and up. This hasn't
happened before, and it stretches well beyond those 'high net worth'
individuals who are outside the set of 'normal' business aviation users anyway.
Before now this was a clearly segmented market, but things are changing fast.
It's fantastic news for us and it's turning 2005 into an amazing year."
