Adel Mardini, Founder and CEO, Jetex, – a global private jet terminal operator based in Dubai - says that in the last few months, passenger traffic increased 200 per cent.
Mardini also says that more than 70 per cent of his new customers are passengers who previously flew commercially in business or first class.
He says that his clients are prioritising safe travel and that in some cases, the cost of private jet travel can be comparable to flying on commercial airlines.
“With private jets, the main focus is on passenger safety and peace of mind. We have started seeing more group charters, where families, friends and companies can share the cost.
“According to industry research, when you fly on a commercial airline, you will be exposed to more than 700 touch points whereas if you are flying on a business aviation flight, you will be exposed to between 20 and 30 touch points. The difference is huge.
“We recently had a passenger who flew to Mykonos and who had read the study. He counted how many touch points he had before he reached the private jet and it was precisely 21.”
Jetex operates more than 30 terminals across the world, from Dubai and Paris to Marrakech and São Paulo. It is the leading private jet terminal operator in the GCC and Europe and the first company to be awarded five-stars in The Global Star Rating System by H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai.
Jetex has also received three prestigious World Travel Awards in recognition of its commitment to excellence.
Each month, the Jetex terminal in Dubai operates more than 300 flights and Mardini says that travel can be arranged within the GCC and to Europe in around three hours. Passengers can arrive up to 10 minutes before their flight.
Safety-first
With high-net-worth passengers increasingly prioritising safety, Jetex have multiple measures to ensure their clients are protected from the risk of Covid-19 when they travel. “We have a 24-hour medical team on-site to do PCR testing for all arriving passengers and it takes us six-to-12 hours to receive the results. We also have thermal cameras, which allow us to measure body temperatures and capture the faces of travellers as they arrive,” says Mardini.
“One of the latest innovations is the bipolar cabin ionisation technology, which allows us to sanitise private jet cabins without the use of harmful chemicals.”
Currently, for leisure travel, popular destinations include Mykonos, Turkey, Croatia and Macedonia. For business, London, Paris and Geneva remain key markets.
A five-star terminal
The Jetex terminal in Dubai, which was inaugurated three years ago, is unlike any commercial airport. Zaha Hadid-designed furniture provides an artistic spark to the sense of tranquil luxury. There is a piano, a high-end family space and even sleep pods.
On the runway sit three Rolls Royces, primed to deliver travellers to their flights in the height of luxury. Flashes of orange punctuate the environment, reflecting Jetex’s identity as a fresh and innovative product that’s unique to the market.
Mardini says that the terminal concept was based on his passion for luxury hospitality. “We benchmarked our own KPIs against the time one spends checking in and out of a hotel and we established that the process needed to be achieved within five to ten minutes. Our Guest Experience Team guide passengers to the aeroplane – it is the same concept as one enjoys at a five-star hotel.”
“After we opened, we discovered that passengers love spending time in the terminal so they usually stay for between 20 and 30 minutes.” He recounts a recent experience where a client held his flight for 45-minutes to finish a game of billiards, a luxury that isn’t possible on commercial flights.
Continued growth
Mardini is confident that the private jet travel market will continue to expand in the next five-years and has plans to announce new terminals in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. “To accommodate new demand, Jetex has signed a number of exclusive partnerships and launched new services, such as a jet-to-yacht service in the Mediterranean, smaller luxury hotels, safari lodges and villas, and much more.”
Mardini says Dubai’s welcoming business environment has made it possible for Jetex to prosper. "Dubai continues to encourage investment and attract foreign investors to come and thrive in this vibrant destination. We fully appreciate the enormous support we receive from the government.”
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