Air Charter Service France bounces back
Air Charter Service France’s private jet division has reported a 94% increase in revenue since 2020 after its business was “heavily affected by the pandemic”. First-half revenue is also 38% up on the pre-pandemic level achieved in the same period of 2019.
The French arm of British-based Air Charter Service reported that the passenger side of the business has bounced back from the downturn in revenue caused by Covid-19 restrictions. “We have seen a real return to business for all of our three main divisions following the past couple of years,” said Alexandre Busila, CEO, ACS France.
“Our private jet division has seen almost triple the amount of revenue of last year, with many clients choosing larger aircraft and longer trips as the restrictions have eased all over the world.”
Justin Bowman, CEO, ACS said that after restructuring for the long-term benefit of the company, he is pleased with the performance of the company’s French division.
“The office has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months or so,” he said. “Since Alex and his new leadership team have been in place, we are now in good shape to look to the future and to expand the team.”
According to Busila, the group’s charter division has seen first-half growth of 71% on last year’s figures. This reflects the return of meetings, incentive-related travel, conferences and exhibitions (colloquially known as the MICE industry) and sports travel.
The firm’s cargo flight volumes have also experienced growth on the previous three years: A 78% increase on 2021 and 20% more than pre-pandemic levels.
“After the initial spike in 2020 of shipping PPE [Personal Protective Equipment], we are now back to charters for automotive parts, project logistics, livestock, textiles and even perishables,” said Busila.
After the improved performance of the French market, Bowman is considering further investment for ACS France.
“We have plans for further investment in France and we feel that Alex’s success has laid the groundwork for this,” he said.
