Three years ago, Chris Nowrouzisa国际传媒檚 private charter airline served mainly ultra-wealthy leisure travellers and the upper echelons of the corporate world.

Now, 27 months into a global pandemic that closed borders and battered airlines, his Toronto-based FlyGTA caters to a broader swath of families and groups wary of the health risks and airport hassle of commercial air travel sa国际传媒� and who have cash to spare.

sa国际传媒淎fter the pandemic definitely we saw an increase of numbers all across the board,sa国际传媒� said Nowrouzi, the companysa国际传媒檚 CEO and co-owner. sa国际传媒淎nd the major increase that wesa国际传媒檝e seen is families.sa国际传媒�

Aiming to more than double its seven-plane fleet over the next few years, FlyGTA is now rolling out service to 20-plus destinations with scheduled charter flights sa国际传媒� nearly half in Florida or the Caribbean. Customers can sign up as a group and jet off to West Palm Beach from Toronto for about $25,000 one-way, taxes and fees included sa国际传媒� or $3,125 per person in a group of eight, the maximum capacity. That compares to Air Canada fares that currently range from $1,260 to $3,620 for the same trip in a business-class seat in July.

Amid scenes of daily frustration at Canadian airports, FlyGTA is part of a swelling sector of fleet operators and producers that hope to transform a COVID-19-era trend toward mile-high comfort into a long-term upswing for private flight.

While carriers have struggled since March 2020, use of business jets rose by 23 per cent in the United States and 53 per cent in Europe last quarter compared with a year earlier, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Eurocontrol. Those leaps build on large increases in 2021.

Flight delays and cancellations, wariness of potential COVID exposure and surging wealth among the ultra-rich sa国际传媒� the worldsa国际传媒檚 2,755 billionaires saw their combined wealth rise by US$5 trillion since March 2021, a January report from Oxfam International says sa国际传媒� have helped drive demand for private aircraft.

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The taste for luxury has seen buyers snap up used business jets as well, leaving the total number for sale at 3.1 per cent of the worldwide fleet as of late February, its lowest level in more than 25 years, according to market data firm Jetnet IQ sa国际传媒� and making new products a likelier option, which bodes well for private plane makers like Bombardier Inc.

The Montreal-based company increased its backlog of business aircraft orders by 11 per cent to US$13.5 billion in its first quarter. The sa国际传媒渟trong bookingssa国际传媒� reflect sa国际传媒渃ontinued strengthening in the private jet market coming out of the pandemic with activity levels now exceeding 2019,sa国际传媒� ATB Capital Markets analyst Chris Murray said in a note to clients last month.

Meanwhile airlines captured just 80 per cent of premium travel last year, down from 90 per cent before the pandemic, according to Alton Aviation Consultancy managing director Umang Gupta, indicating private travel now accounts for a larger slice of the market.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a very niche market. But the niche seems to be creeping down the income scales, where you have a lot more options today,sa国际传媒� said John Gradek, head of McGill Universitysa国际传媒檚 aviation management program.

sa国际传媒淚f yousa国际传媒檙e booking a seat from Toronto to Vancouver on Air Canada on business class, and itsa国际传媒檚 $3,000 or $4,000, you get six or seven of your buddies together to fly and itsa国际传媒檚 cheaper to fly on a private jet than it is on a commercial airliner.sa国际传媒�

The growing array of purchase options includes charter, sa国际传媒渏et cardsa国际传媒� loyalty-style programs, full ownership and sa国际传媒渇ractional ownership.sa国际传媒�

Charter flights involve hiring a plane and crew for a custom trip. Jet card programs, which function like a premium charter membership, see customers pay in advance for the privilege of a fixed hourly rate and guaranteed availability, with dozens of companies serving North America.

Full ownership refers to an outright plane purchase by a corporation or individual. And fractional ownership means buying a share of a plane under a multi-year deal that covers costs like crew wages and maintenance, on top of an hourly rate for time on board.

Companies such as Calgary-based AirSprint, Mississauga, Ont.-based Jet-Share and HondaJetsa国际传媒檚 newly formed Jet It Canada all sell fractional ownership.

In 2020, the relatively affordable fractional and charter flights made up an unprecedented majority of private flight hours in North America, overtaking full ownership, according to an Argus International business aviation report.

Meanwhile, total business jet flight activity surged past 2020 levels by 41 per cent last year and topped pre-pandemic levels by 7.2 per cent.

As well as accessibility, health concerns remain top of mind for many amid the pandemic. sa国际传媒淲e are hearing that some (corporate) boards are asking their directors to fly private for health reasons,sa国际传媒� said Helane Becker, an analyst for banking firm Cowen.

Then theresa国际传媒檚 the pure convenience and sa国际传媒� alluring decadence sa国际传媒� of private flight.

sa国际传媒淭here is no wait time to get on the aircraft,sa国际传媒� said Nowrouzi. sa国际传媒淵our passports are checked and you get right on the aircraft and you depart.

sa国际传媒淥n your arrival, customs agents come out to the aircraft,sa国际传媒� he added, building a case for the revival of air travelsa国际传媒檚 bygone glamour.

sa国际传媒淏ack in the sa国际传媒�70s, when commercial flying was new, people would fly for the experience and the destination. But somewhere along the way the experience kind of went away.sa国际传媒�

Even the old-fashioned route of buying a jet outright is more feasible for corporations, leasing companies and the odd individual, with the list price for new HondaJet and Cessna jets starting between US$3 million and US$4 million.

sa国际传媒淭hose airplanes will fly Montreal-Miami nonstop,sa国际传媒� Gradek said.

A couple of clouds mark the horizon.

One is the price of jet fuel, which is poised to remain high this year in lockstep with oil costs.

sa国际传媒淎nd then theresa国际传媒檚 the Greta Thunberg factorsa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� a growing awareness of aviationsa国际传媒檚 carbon footprint and the attendant sa国际传媒渇lygskam,sa国际传媒� Swedish for flight shame, which pressures would-be flyers to think twice about heading skyward sa国际传媒� Gradek said.

But with the pandemic and airport chaos raging, going private may seem all the easier to rationalize, said former Air Canada chief operating officer Duncan Dee.

sa国际传媒淔or folks that can afford it sa国际传媒� high net worth individuals and corporate clients sa国际传媒� that becomes an alternative that is much more justifiable.sa国际传媒�

Companies in this story: (TSX:BBD.B)

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press

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