AirGO is a boutique airline specialising in on-demand flights across Europe and offering Corona travel solutions. AirGO entered the field of private charter and aircraft management almost 20 years ago. The operator was the first one to operate the Piaggio Avanti aircraft in Europe, the first German operator with a European AOC certified under JAR OPS rules at that time and the first one flying with a certified paperless cockpit. Today AirGO has a mono fleet of multiple of these aircraft.
In the following interview, AirGO CEO Daniela Flierl explores the challenges of a post-Corona travel future.
What impact did the outbreak of Covid-19 have on the travel behaviour of passengers?
The effects of the crisis vary depending on the mode of travel, purpose of travel and geographic area. For air travel certainly, there was a huge drop in demand and consequently a decline in the supply of commercial flights. On the other side, the business aviation sector was not hit as hard by the Corona crisis. In terms of biosecurity, the private jet is one of the safest modes of transportation.
The industry is extremely agile and was able to quickly adapt to the new safety requirements and government regulations. Also, there was a notable change in customers groups. Due to the unsafe or simply not available commercial flight options, previous airline customers approached private jet operators for the first time. Additionally, key workers and medical staff ended up travelling by private jet. Some other regular customers refrained from flying or took significantly fewer flights than usual.
What effect did the crisis have on the image of private jet travel?
Between the beginning of 2020 and today, the connotation of flying private changed completely. The advantages of a private jet used to be comfort, exclusivity and flexibility. Now, the focus has shifted. For the most part, the private aircraft has become the only reliable option for passengers to get to their destination over the last year. Also, it was by far the most responsible mode of Corona travel as the risk of a Corona Virus infection was significantly lower. What used to be an extravagant way of travelling quickly became a reliable and responsible option to get to a destination.
What can we expect for the future of business travel?
The year 2020 has led to huge progress in digitalisation. Within weeks or months, it was possible to change organisational structures to keep operations running with employees in home office and without the possibility of physical meetings. After the crisis, we will have the digital tools and newly acquired skills on hand to be further used and implemented in organisations.
Even during the crisis, we could observe that once travel bans were lifted the demand for travel increased. Safety was the number one priority for transportation choice. And this will continue to be the case. While overall the number of total trips per company might decline, it can be expected that top executives and C-level management will continue to travel. Also travel for private and personal purposes will remain important to people – while they might travel with more consciousness and with less frequency. Along with safety during Corona travel, timing and flexibility are key criteria for this group of travellers.
Here the private jet offers the best overall solution. For trips within Europe aircraft models like the Piaggio Avanti are ideal. The aircraft can fly up to 4 hours nonstop, it is certified for steep approach and can land on short runways like Cannes or Lugano. Overall passengers can fly between approximately 2000 airports non-stop. Flying privately allows to keep travel time at a minimum, waiting time at airport terminals reduced, and connections or overnight stays avoided. Also, the flight schedule is built around the requirements of the traveller and often can be adjusted flexibly.
The spacious, comfortable and quiet cabin presents a perfect room to relax between meetings or serves as office space over the clouds. Choosing a private aircraft, business travellers can make use best of their time and focus on the essential.
What is the outlook for leisure travel?
For private travel, we can expect that customers will be more conscious about their travel behaviour and will have a tendency towards responsible travel. The need for recreation is a basic human need. We will still be flying to nice places to re-charge our batteries or travel to visit friends and relatives.However, most likely there will be a shift away from taking many short trips over a season. Instead, travellers will take fewer trips, stay longer at their destination and be more conscious about the places they stay and the flight options they choose. Sustainable and environmentally friendly options will become more attractive.
Do passengers fly sustainably with the AirGO private jets?
At AirGO sustainability is a central value that we are embracing in multiple areas of our business. Apart from our efficient aircraft, we are incorporating sustainability in our entire operation intending to reduce our CO2emissions.We were the first ones in the business aviation sector to introduce our carbon offset program, allowing our customers to compensate for the CO2 emissions by choosing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In cooperation with Compensaid by Lufthansa AirGO is offering the unique opportunity to offset private flights with immediate effect by choosing sustainable aviation fuel or opt for long-term compensation through reforestation or a mix of both.Furthermore, it is important to be aware that flying with less emissions or even CO2 neutral does not necessarily mean compromising on price or product quality. In fact, choosing an efficient aircraft type results in reduced operational costs with lower emissions without compromising on comfort.
The Piaggio Avanti operated by AirGO has a unique design both in interior and exterior. Its Italian design emerges in the sleek and stylish cabin layout. The distinct aerodynamic design of the fuselage contributes to the efficiency of the aircraft. The private plane burns only around two-thirds of the fuel that other similarly sized jets consume. At the same time, the aircraft has a larger cabin than other jets of the same price class.
About AirGO
AirGO Private Airline is seated in Germany. The primary area of operation is across Europe and around the Mediterranean. Especially France, UK, Switzerland, Spain and Italy are key business areas of the operator.
Behind the airline, there is a young, dynamic and international team representing over 15 nationalities. All the team members are united by their passion for aviation. The different cultural insights and language skills have continually proven to be an advantage for the flight crews, sales and customer service teams. Thanks to the AirGO online quotation tool it is possible to get an idea of the cost immediately at any time. Upon receipt of your request the sales team will verify and provide a precise offer.
Apart from private jet charter, the main business activity of AirGO is aircraft management.
AirGO offers aircraft ownership plans for private and corporate owners tailored to their specific requirements. This has many advantages for aircraft owners. Crucial tasks such as maintenance, safety management, crew training and flight planning are professionally executed and supervised by the airline. The owner has the aircraft available for private flights at any time. Additionally, there is the option to allow 3rd party charter while the aircraft is not in use. This creates tax advantages. Furthermore, the cost of the own aircraft operation can be significantly reduced by the income from 3rd party charter flights.
For any questions regarding aircraft management, charter or CO2 compensation please visit www.airgo.de or contact sales@airgo.de. For more information about biosecurity please visit our Corona Travel information.