The dynamics of business aviation charter flights in 2020 resembles a Russian mountains: from almost zero in April to a growth of 200% in August
The dynamics of business aviation charter flights in 2020 resembles a Russian mountains: from almost zero in April to a growth of 200% in August. The analysts of Emperor Marketing Support came to such conclusions based on statistics provided by charter brokers LLJets, QuantumVia, and the Aim of Emperor group.
Due to the spread of COVID-19, the current year 2020 is turning out to be absolutely unpredictable for the Russian charter market. When in the 1-st quarter of 2020 the amount of applications and flights was approximately the same as in 2019, then, starting from the 2-nd quarter, the situation changes dramatically. At the same time, the amplitude fluctuations in demand reached both maximum and minimum values.
In the 2-nd quarter of 2020, the amount of applications exactly doubled, while the number of organized flights decreased compared to the same period in 2019. This is due to the closure of Russian borders and the de facto stalled demand in April. Russian brokers organized only repatriation flights to Russia. However, Emperor Marketing Support statistics show that interest in charter flights resumed in May and June 2020.
In August, the number of requests for organizing flights soared by 265%, and the number of flights performed – by 68% compared to last year August. Noteworthy that the conversion of applications to flights was low; this is because most of the inquiries came from new customers — people, who made a request for the first time ever. These customers were mistakenly convinced that the COVID restrictions did not affect private aviation and were ready to use it.
The growth in demand and the actual number of flights performed influenced the cost. In the summer months, there was a decrease in the average check for charter flights, but only slightly - by 6-7%. Emperor Marketing Support explains this by two factors. First, customers have a request for low-cost flights. Secondly, the sharing scheme is actively working on the market, and seat-by-seat carriage reduces the price by itself.
Summarizing the controversial situation in the first 3 quarters, it can be noted that despite the worldwide lockdown, crisis and complete unpredictability, it is impossible to stop the desire of people to fly. Based on the results of 3 quarters of 2020, the increase in flight activity was 29%.