News Release

ASL Group introduces new innovative concept: ASL Fly Executive

With a careful restart of the aviation sector, ASL Group has presented a new and surprising formula, which combines the unique aspect of private aviation's individual and qualitative service with the best of commercial aviation. This project is marketed under the name ASL Fly Executive and offers the passenger a high-quality flight experience in an all-in package.

“Traveling by airliner has become uncomfortable and impersonal," says Philippe Bodson, CEO of ASL Group and Air Charters Europe. "The question is, should this really be the case? At ASL Group, we don't think so. That is why we have developed a new and unusual concept that may turn the aviation industry upside down.”

ASL Group, is placing this new project within the activities of ASL Private Jet Services, which operates as a charter company for private flights of up to 12 passengers in Belgium and the Netherlands. The group operates a fleet of 35 private jets spread over almost all airports in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 2018, a new airline, ACE (Air Charters Europe), was created, which also offers charter flights for groups. ACE operates these flights with a fleet of Embraer ERJ jets with a capacity of 30 to 42 seats. ACE has adapted these aircraft to the needs and wishes of its customers.

"All of the plastic commonly found on airline planes has been removed and replaced with a leather interior, similar to what you would expect in a private jet," continues Bodson. "Each seat has its own power plug, the legroom between the seats is much larger than you would normally expect, the walls are made of ultra-soft leather and the individual tables and toilets are also finished with high quality materials. The overhead luggage compartments have been removed, giving the aircraft a much more spacious feel, and additional soundproofing has been applied throughout the cabin, making the noise level in the cabin much quieter than during a normal commercial flight. The comfort is excellent, and the passenger experience is first class.”

To date, ACE's activities have been extremely successful. Many customers from all over Europe such as football teams, companies, private incentives, governments, military agencies and the European Community regularly use ACE's services.

"These are the planes with which we will extend the fleet and which will be used in the new Fly Executive project," continues Philippe Bodson, "Fly Executive will be placed somewhere between private charter flights and scheduled aviation. It will be a kind of regular service to which you can subscribe individually with one or more people, always with a unique character. And it can be the departure airport, the terminal, the time or the destination, for example.”

Fly Executive is aimed at what is today a niche market, but this could quickly become an important market segment with a clientele that generally does not opt for charter flights in a private jet but that is happy to spend a little more for a better flight experience, personalised service and an all-in formula.

With Fly Executive, the slogan is: 'everything is included'. This includes a drink before the flight, champagne during the flight, tasty snacks, spacious and safe seats, a mouth mask, 25 kg of luggage per person, the possibility of changing the owner of the ticket, a friendly and attentive crew that ensures that safety standards are respected with a smile and humanely takes care of passengers.

Today, low-cost airlines operate more than ever with the lowest possible fares, minimal service and an additional costs for each detail or additional service. The Fly Executive offer is diametrically opposed to this. ASL is confident that the concept will be greeted with enthusiasm by a constantly expanding target group. Therefore, Fly Executive also wishes to develop an in-depth collaboration with travel agencies. This practice has been common for 20 years, but at Fly Executive, recognised travel agencies can count on a commission of 10% on the price of the ticket.l

Aviation is responsible for 2% of all CO2 emissions worldwide. And although opinions on the impact of the sector on the climate are divided, this question gets ASL Group's full attention: climate change is and will remain the challenge of this century.

"We want to play a pioneering role with Fly Executive," says Philippe Bodson. "And I am convinced that our target group is ready to take part in this role. This is why a CO2 compensation contribution is systematically included in the price of each ticket. Our mission is to voluntarily offset the CO2 emissions for each flight in this programme. For this, we have chosen to join the Cookstoves project. It is a climate and ecological project that invests in local production and the sale of efficient cooking appliances. Today, more than a third of the world's population cooks on a wood fire every day, usually indoors. This has a huge impact on the climate and on the health of people exposed daily to very harmful fumes. ASL Fly Executive wishes to work with the government to support new local projects in the future, while encouraging other companies to follow suit. "

ASL Fly Executive will take off with a weekly flight from Brussels to Ibiza as from July 4, 2020, and an Antwerp to Innsbruck flight is already on the programme for the coming winter.

Fly Executive targets specific vacation and business destinations, events, fairs and sports competitions. Its customers can always connect individually with one or more people without having to rent the full capacity of the plane as with a real private jet. It prefers private terminals or small airports.