Flexjet forecasts high demand for September and October

Flexjet forecasts high levels of demand for travel in September and October thanks to the return of demand for business and continuing leisure travel.

Both companies flew more flights in September compared with August, which is unusual for the time of year. Flexjet is operating 53% more flights in September, with bookings for October also rising rapidly.

Marine Eugène, European MD of Flexjet & PrivateFly, said: “Our industry in Europe traditionally sees a significant peak in July and August, followed by a tailing off in September – but not this year.

Eugène said the pent-up demand for in-person meetings was a big factor for the returning business travel. Senior executives and entrepreneurs from the finance and technology sectors are booking multiple flights to meet investment targets or make site visits.

“Key business centres such as Paris, Zurich, Munich, and Amsterdam are all now back in our current top 10 destinations list in Europe, which we have not seen for some time,” said Eugène.

The UK government’s relaxation of travel restrictions from October 4th has also helped drive increased leisure flights, according to Eugène. She expects a high demand in US travel in the final quarter of the year, following the US’s easing of rules for UK and European travellers.

Eugène attributed other reasons for increased demand. These include the return of business travel, easing restrictions, changing patterns in leisure flying and the continued appeal of private aviation to avoid health risks of commercial travel.

She added: “In the market overall, stronger demand is also driving a market shift as price increases are encouraging customers to seek the guaranteed hourly rates and availability that come with subscription models such as shared ownership, memberships and jet cards.”