Panic over coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused European and international airlines to take restrictive measures and cut back flights to Italy and Israel. But while the coronavirus outbreak threatens commercial airlines with losses of $113 billion in revenue (Forbes via IATA), private jet companies such as Austria's GlobeAir have registered a remarkable spike in bookings.

“We are registering a 27 per cent YoY increase in bookings over the past three weeks alone,” says CEO Bernhard Fragner.

Against the approximately 700 touchpoints that expose passengers to the risk of contagion on every single commercial flight, business aviation, with only 20 touchpoints, ensures a 30-times lower risk.

Just recently, however, GlobeAir was forced to suspend flights to and from Italy after the Italian government imposed a state of quarantine to last until 3 April.

Private jet companies are used to escorting fewer passengers at a time and pilots are aware of the latest safety procedures. Onboard disinfectant kits are always available. Before the start of each rotation, pilots undergo strict medical checks. GlobeAir is not assigning pilots who have visited Italy in the past 14 days to any of its flights.

The average cost of four business class tickets from Paris to Geneva is approximately 2,200 euros. A GlobeAir private jet flight covering the same route would cost about 500 euros more per passenger, making 4,200 euros in total. The difference signifies an investment in safety and efficiency, with about one hour and 45 minutes saved on each trip.