Demand for private jets from rich Russians has soared this year, with the number of flights up 32% from pre-pandemic levels, according to data from WingX Advance GmbH, a research and consulting company specializing in the business aviation industry.
While Russian commercial flights are mostly absent from European holiday destinations, with only a few flights going to the U.K. and Greece, private jet traffic does not fall under Russian and EU aviation legislation, allowing those Russians with EU residence permits or second passports to fly to otherwise closed countries, The Moscow Times reports.
“Private jets solve the problem of limited flights to Europe and other destinations,” said Yevgeny Bikov, from private travel company Your Charter.
“As we approach the summer, we have seen a 50% increase in requests to fly privately compared with pre-pandemic 2019, mostly to Western Europe. Demand often actually exceeds the possibilities to fly abroad,” he added.
Pursuant luxury travel company director Yelena Stepnovaya and Bikov, the most popular elite summer hotspots they are sending clients to include Nice on the French Riviera and the Spanish seaside resorts of Mallorca, Ibiza and Malaga.
“We expect a further increase in the coming months as our clients will be keen to visit their second houses and resorts in Europe,” Stepnovaya said.
As well as allowing international travel, private jets have made rich Russians feel safe during the pandemic.
“There are never more than 10-15 people around. No lines, no hassle. This is another reason for the growing popularity of the private planes industry,” Stepnovaya said.
As a result, the private jet industry has recovered far more quickly than commercial airlines in Russia.
