Elit'Avia, which operates under Maltese and Slovenian AOCs, has announced that with 6,615 flight hours, 2020 was the company's second busiest year since its foundation in 2006. Elit'Avia's recent success, it says, may be attributed to the resilience of its team and their ability to rapidly respond to evolving client needs during a tumultuous period.

Charter services grew thanks to new clients who previously flew commercial business class, but opted for the additional safety of private aviation. Demand for aircraft management increased as companies and HNWIs chose to operate aircraft exclusively for management teams, families and other small groups.

Specialised cargo transportation, particularly of medical supplies, became a new service offering for Elit'Avia. Business aircraft proved well-suited to small shipments of lightweight supplies, such as facemasks, with the ability to land on shorter runways inaccessible to full-size cargo aircraft.

Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) expanded as a turnkey service for aircraft operators seeking immediate additional fleet capacity.

“While we are proud to announce our success, we do so with a sense of humility, knowing that COVID-19 has been very difficult for many people in our industry,” says Michel Coulomb, CEO, Elit'Avia. “Our dedicated team has shown a tremendous ability to respond to the uncertainty of the pandemic. By proposing creative solutions to rapidly-evolving needs, we continued to serve existing clients and worked with many new clients as well.

“The more obvious benefits of private aviation during the pandemic include the ability to hand-pick your travel companions and the dramatically lower number of touch points on a typical private flight versus commercial. Less obvious has been the increase in specialised cargo missions, including the delivery of medical supplies, which is rewarding work because it enables us to contribute directly to fighting the virus. 2020 was a difficult year, and we are grateful to have found a measure of success in the face of overwhelming challenge.”