Private Jet Charter, one of the world’s largest independent private jet charter brokers and consultants, has set up a presence in Saudi Arabia, to cater to the rising demand for charter flights from passengers in the kingdom. Private Jet Charter founder and chief executive Hugh Courtenay said Saudi customers could now select from a global database of around 50,000 aircraft which the company offers to anywhere in the world. "Saudi Arabia commands 50 per cent of the air charter business in the Middle East. Businessmen in Saudi Arabia make 10-15 charter trips a year on average. This certainly demands a strong presence in such a vibrant private jet market," said Courtenay. He added: "By setting up this presence in Jeddah and Riyadh, Private Jet Charter reinforces its operations in the Middle East. This presence in the kingdom is the second in the Gulf after our regional office in Dubai which we opened in 2002. Our largest business volumes come from the Gulf due to the strong concentration of high networth individuals and affluent families and we felt the need to cater to their needs at a closer proximity." Private Jet Charter’s Saudi presence is the company’s sixth in its network, complementing locations in London, Nice, Dubai, Florida and Moscow. The upsurge in Saudi demand for private jets is put down to the recession that has forced some companies to shut down their flight operations or sell off their corporate jets, thus giving a boost to air charter business as a very attractive alternative to Business Class commercial air travel. Courtenay said Saudi clients have started to recognise the strategic benefits of charter jet services, particularly in terms of convenience and time savings and this has encouraged us to make new investments in Saudi Arabia. "The Gulf market offers great long-term potential for us. Our client base of royal families, CEOs and other members of the region’s affluent segment has been steadily increasing," the official remarked. The company is ISO 9002-certified and provides VIP aircraft, executive jets, helicopter charter, corporate airliners and medical evacuation aircraft.
