International Air Charter (IAC), one of the world's largest independent private jet charter brokers, expects to achieve a 50 percent increase in demand for chartered flights to Saudi Arabia during this year's Holy Month of Ramadan compared with 2008, as more members of the affluent become aware of the practical value and flexibility of chartered jet services. IAC further revealed that the robust growth forecast is in line with the continued impressive performance of the Kingdom's religious tourism sector, which has been predicted to generate up to USD 7 billion in annual revenues.
IAC has accordingly increased its fleet for destinations such as Makkah and Medina, key destinations of travellers performing the Umrah and Hajj pilgrimage. IAC further noted that the increasing capacity of chartered flights will be an important component in further consolidating the Middle East aviation industry, which posted a 12 percent share of global airline premium revenue passing to and from the Middle East in November 2008. This represents a 50 percent increase since the onset of the economic slowdown, according to the Middle East Aviation Outlook Summit in Abu Dhabi.
Elie Abdo, Managing Partner – Middle East, International Air Charter, said, "The significantly high number of tourist arrivals during Ramadan makes chartered jet flights a practical travel solution, particularly for affluent travellers who are looking to avoid the long queues, extra paperwork and other time-consuming formalities of commercial air travel. As such, IAC is increasingly allocating substantial resources and putting priority on religious tourism, which has certainly served as the catalyst for the sustained growth of tourist arrivals in KSA. This is ultimately part of our comprehensive strategic plan in the Middle East, which has emerged as a new and exciting growth destination for chartered jet services."
"IAC's network of over 50,000 aircraft worldwide allows us to deliver a truly flexible and more convenient platform to reach any international destination. For religious travellers performing the Hajj and Umrah, this means having a direct, streamlined gateway to reach Makkah or Medina from practically anywhere in the world, and being able to customise in-flight services to match their personal and religious requirements. These are among the important facets that distinguish chartered jets as a more attractive travel solution," added Abdo.
IAC offers a wide selection of six to 40-seat planes, while its roster of aircrafts currently includes Piaggio, Premier, Hawker, Falcon, Gulfstream, Challenger, Dornier, Global Express, Boeing, VIP Airbus and VIP McDonnell Douglas among others. IAC's portfolio of international clients now includes a growing number of VIPs visiting religious sites in the Middle East, particularly during the Hajj and Umrah season. IAC's regular clients in the Middle East, on the other hand, include members of royal families, CEOs, and several other high fliers in the region.
IAC has round the clock access to over 50,000 aircraft from all over the world through its Computerised Aircraft Tracking System (CATS), which is updated automatically on a daily basis. With its unrivalled fleet, IAC is able to deliver private jet services within a maximum of two hours and bring any customer to any destination around the world. The ISO 9002 certified company has been a leading figure in the aviation industry for nearly two decades, and has been a renowned specialist in the provision of VIP aircraft, executive jets, helicopter charter, corporate airliners and dedicated medical evacuation aircraft.
© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
