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Religious tourism fuels growth in private jet demand

International Air Charter (IAC), a private jet broker, is expecting a 50 percent increase in the demand for private jet charters in Saudi Arabia during Ramadan compared to the previous year.

IAC says that the forecast is in line with the growth of religious tourism in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to generate around $7 billion annually.

“The large number of tourist arrivals during Ramadan makes chartered flights a practical travel solution, especially for affluent travellers who wish to avoid the time-consuming formalities of commercial air travel,” commented Elie Abdo, managing partner of IAC Middle East.

He says that the company has allocated substantial resources on religious tourism. This area has become a center of the IAC’s strategic plan for the growth of private charters.

As reported in Emirates Business 24/7, “IAC has increased its fleet for Makkah and Madinah, key destinations of travellers performing the Umrah and Haj pilgrimage. For those who want to perform the Haj and Umrah, this means having a direct link to Makkah or Madinah from anywhere in the world, the company said, adding that it is also able to customise in-flight services to match their personal and religious requirements.”

The firm offers several six-to-40 seat private planes. Its fleet currently includes Piaggio, Premier, Hawker, Falcon, Gulfstream, Challenger, Dornier, Global Express, Boeing, VIP Airbus and VIP McDonnell Douglas.

Source:  Emirates Business 24/7