Oliver King says that the industry is experiencing a rare moment where both the US and Europe are motoring

Avinode reports growth for European business aviation

The year to March 2018 figures from Avinode show a healthy rise in demand for European business jet charter. France saw the most intra-European business with 20 per cent of this market followed by the UK, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. Cessna aircraft were the most requested business aircraft for intra-European flights with the Citation Mustang taking pole position and the CJ2, XLS, CJ2+ and XLS+ filling the remaining top spots. CEO Oliver King says: "The number of small jets listed on Avinode by European operators continues to grow. When looking at the entry-level jet, light jet and super light jet categories combined the numbers rose by four per cent between April 2017 and April 2018."

Flights from Russia dominated traffic into Europe from outside the continent, representing 66 per cent of requests in this market. Away from Russia and the CIS, six per cent of departures were from the US and four per cent from Saudi Arabia, with the Challenger 604 and Legacy 600 the most popular jets.

King continues: "Over the last 12 years, 20 million searches have been made on Avinode as buyers look for the best charter option. Much has changed over that time. The question of whether customers will book online has been answered: they will and they do. The challenge for us as an industry is to provide the seamless and transparent service that defines the rest of the travel business. We can't wait to play our part in this challenge."

King cautions, however, that uncertainty is growing on what the future holds. "We have seen a sustained period of wealth creation across the globe, combined with significant investment in digital charter models in both the US and Europe. Potential trade disputes, political uncertainty in the US and UK as well as rising oil prices threaten growth, particularly in the luxury leisure market of Europe."

Brokers risk falling behind using legacy processes

Avinode has added a messaging/chat feature to its digital platforms which allows brokers and operators to instantly connect to discuss trip details with all the necessary information easily at hand, rather than needing to rely on phone or email contact.

King says: "Switching between emails, phone calls and text messages when trying to confirm trips can be confusing. This service simplifies and centralises the process. Our customers have been calling for messaging and we've listened. Over 600 messages were sent on the first day alone and the positive immediate feedback from our customers tells us we've had an instant success."