With The U.K. entering a second period of lockdown on Thursday, November 5, to counteract the COVID-19 pandemic, the more wealthy have greatly increased their demands on private charter firms for flights to the location of second homes, with the Canary Islands coming top of the list.
Air Partners, which caters for the royal family, and wealthy footballers, and is one of the leading charter companies in the country, has confirmed it is witnessing a significant rise in bookings. “Many of these flight inquiries are for individuals wishing to go to their second homes in Europe, with the Canary Islands, which are still warm at this time of year, being the most sought-after destination,” Air Partners commented. “We do expect to continue to see some demand for private jet flights during the rest of the month for business travel, particularly as many commercial flights become grounded and unavailable.”
The uptick in demand is as a result of the ban on flights abroad except for essential work up until December 2. While commercial airlines have had to drastically cut back on operational flights, private charter companies have been less badly hit as the super-rich have hardly cut back on their travel habits, while those with moderate wealth have been turning to private jet hire as a means to travel more safely during the pandemic. The result has been an approximate 10% drop in private hire flight numbers between September 1 and October 15, compared to a 50% drop over the same period for commercial operators, when both are compared to the same period last year.
