Private aviation for business: The ultimate guide to efficiency and comfort

ooking for customers and suppliers or attending industry meetings are part of everyday business life and have to be included in the tight schedule. For efficient business travel, it therefore makes sense to use the airplane. However, the flight schedules of major scheduled airlines do not always fit in with your own schedule, or the desired flight is already fully booked. Check-in and check-in at the destination airport also take a lot of time. You can enjoy absolute flexibility with your own private jet. But this is only one option. This article would like to inform you about the advantages and disadvantages and possible alternatives to your own plane.

Does it make sense to own a private jet?

It is undoubtedly appealing to own your own plane and benefit from maximum flexibility. Having your own jet gives you the opportunity to travel in luxury for business and pleasure. It also contributes to good business relationships if you can also offer your customers special luxury trips in this way. Whether the private jet is really the ideal way for efficient business travel depends on how often you will use it. Purchasing your own jet represents a considerable investment and is associated with high follow-up costs.

Acquisition costs

The price of a new aircraft is between 2 and 100 million US dollars, depending on the model and equipment. You can find used aircraft on the market at lower prices. However, their purchase often entails additional costs for maintenance, repair and possible refurbishment of the interior. Depending on the condition of the used jet and your personal requirements, these costs can quickly add up to another million.

Maintenance costs

Regardless of whether you choose a new or used aircraft, there are ongoing costs associated with ownership. If you have a pilot's license and want to fly your jet yourself, there are no costs for one or even two pilots. This option makes sense if you really only want to use your jet to cover distances. However, a private jet usually fulfills other functions. You may want to travel with business partners or customers and use the flight time for meetings or to prepare for your appointment. Under certain circumstances, other members of management may also fly in the company jet so that you are not available as the pilot.

As a rule, costs are therefore incurred for the aircraft crew. In addition to pilots, cabin crew are also advantageous, especially for flights of a representative nature. Other fixed costs that you need to plan for include

• Rent for the hangar

• regular maintenance

• fuel costs

• insurance

• airport charges

• FBO such as catering, cleaning, ground handling

To justify all these expenses, efficient business travel requires frequent use of the private jet with more than 240 flight hours per year.

Simply share an aircraft

If your requirements do not reach the number of flight hours that make sense for efficient business travel by private jet, there are interesting alternatives available to you.

Share ownership of an aircraft

Various agencies arrange aircraft ownership shares. Various share models are available, ranging from less than 10 percent up to 50 percent. This model offers you the comfort and equipment of a private aircraft for luxury travel and a certain degree of flexibility. The coordination of your flights naturally depends on the number of owners. As a shareholder, you also have no influence on the equipment of the aircraft. However, various aircraft models are available so that you can acquire a share in a private jet that largely meets your requirements.

The contractual arrangements for the aircraft share can be customized. For example, you have the choice of buying only the share of the aircraft or including all maintenance costs in the contractual arrangement. Some providers of private jet shares also guarantee the repurchase of the share in the event that this option does not prove to be optimal for you.

Joint purchase of a private jet

Another way to own your own aircraft is to purchase it jointly, for example with business partners or friends. In this case, you share the purchase price and can influence the selection and equipment of the model. As co-owners, you are also not solely responsible for the running costs. With just a few owners who also know each other personally, it is also easier to coordinate use than in a large, rather anonymous group of shareholders. You therefore enjoy a relatively high degree of flexibility with shared costs.

Alternatives: Efficient business travel with private aviation

To fly in a private jet, you don't necessarily have to own your own aircraft or a share in it. There are now a wide range of private aviation companies, some of which have large fleets of private jets in various sizes and performance classes and offer charter flights. This is particularly worthwhile for you if you do not fly regularly and frequently change your private jet requirements.

For example, if you travel mainly within Germany or Europe on business and occasionally to more distant destinations, such as the USA, the requirements for the aircraft will differ significantly. The same applies if you often want to fly alone or occasionally with a larger group. When purchasing your own jet, you would have to choose a model that meets the highest requirements in every respect, even though you only rarely need them.

Aircraft charter

Private aviation charter flights offer you full flexibility for frequently changing requirements. Here you can book the ideal aircraft for each individual flight for the intended route and number of passengers, as well as other requirements such as the desired catering on board. You can enjoy the complete comfort of luxury travel alone or with your group in a private jet as if it were your own. On request, the charter companies can even equip the booked jet in line with your company's corporate identity. Such offers extend to the exterior design of the aircraft. The costs for charter flights depend on the size and equipment of the aircraft as well as the desired services and are usually calculated per flight hour.

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Flight cards for efficient business travel

Flight cards allow you to purchase a quota of flight hours with a private aviation company. You usually buy the flight card at the beginning of the year and choose how many flight hours you need for charter flights in a set period, usually one year. Flight cards allow airlines to plan better. As a Flight Card holder, you benefit from a low-cost offer. Some airlines offer transferable flight cards so that you can use them for several people in the company. You also have the choice between a fixed jet model and alternating aircraft. You then book the aircraft, flight route and date individually as required. You therefore enjoy the luxury of charter flights with a high degree of flexibility and cost-effective pricing.