PrivateFly, a part of the Directional Aviation family of companies and a sister company to shared ownership provider Flexjet, has reported exceptional demand for its jet card services to date in 2022. More clients than ever before are joining the jet card programme, which offers fixed hourly rates and guaranteed availability for private jet flights within Europe.

PrivateFly and Flexjet European managing director Marine Eugène says: “It's clear from the extraordinary growth we are seeing that there is strong demand in the current market conditions for a jet card product providing certainty of price and availability. With demand for private aviation remaining at an all time high across the industry, pricing and availability for individual flights on-demand is very volatile.

“Clients who fly more regularly are looking for assurance, both in terms of price and service delivery. We are also seeing a preference for premium aircraft types and newer models, and have realigned our PrivateFly jet card categories to reflect that.”

PrivateFly has brought in a new super-midsize jet card to replace its previous midsize offering, giving clients access to larger aircraft across the midsize and super-midsize categories, such as the Citation Latitude and Challenger 350. This follows a similar switch from a light jet card to light jet card plus towards the end of last year, offering a more premium selection of smaller aircraft. A heavy jet card remains available at the top of the three size categories.

PrivateFly launched its jet card in August 2020 as it refocused on frequent private jet users and premium offerings. Based on a minimum commitment of 25 hours, the programme gives a guarantee of availability within 24 hours to predefined aircraft types from accredited operators in PrivateFly's supplier network, with just 35 peak day exclusions.

Marine Eugène adds: “Providing this guarantee is something we have been working hard to achieve. High demand is creating a challenging situation across the industry, so much so that some providers have withdrawn jet cards or brought in significant blackout periods over the summer peak.

“We are not complacent about the operational challenges either, but with the strength of our supplier relationships and our expert team, we are confident we can continue to deliver an outstanding service. Clearly the current geopolitical situation is creating some uncertainty, but our advance bookings at this stage indicate a strong summer ahead.”