Private aircraft make more sense for many World Cup attendees.
Dubai: The largest UAE and Gulf airlines will conduct special flights to Doha for the FIFA World Cup in November and December, but that isn’t stopped private jet operators in the UAE from ramping up their own services before then.
During the World Cup, Dubai-based private jet operator Jetex aims to conduct an extra 2,500 trips to and from Doha. “We are getting a lot of requests,” says CEO Adel Mardini, “and many will make Dubai or Abu Dhabi their headquarters over these two months.”
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The sports event is projected to draw over 1.2 million supporters, and due to a dearth of hotel accommodations in Doha, many fans will remain in the UAE and fly into Doha for the events. Several small airlines are hurrying to fill the void.
Air Arabia will add 14 shuttle flights each day from Sharjah to Doha. During the event, Etihad Airways will run 42 weekly flights, compared to the normal 18 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Doha. With about 60 daily shuttle flights, budget carrier flydubai will undertake the most of the heavy lifting.
Jetex isn’t the only private jet company preparing for the event. DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF) is also increasing capacity to meet the anticipated increase in demand. “We have a steady flow of inquiries from Dubai to Doha,” said Holger Ostheimer, Managing Director of DC Aviation Al-Futtaim. “DCAF will make available capacity on various sizes of aircraft, ranging from small business jets with 4-6 seats for more cost-conscious clients to big business jets with 12-16 seats.”
According to Ostheimer, charter demand has been high, with much of the leisure traffic returning.
Rates that are likely
A small party of four to six individuals travelling on a private jet for the World Cup may pay anywhere from $18,000 (about Dh66,000) upwards one-way, depending on the kind and size of the aircraft.
During that time, regular commercial flights from Dubai to Doha will cost travellers between Dh1,000 and Dh4,000. A seat in Business Class may cost up to Dh12,000.
The fuel factor
While fuel costs have an influence on commercial airline profitability, the impact on business aviation is minor. According to Jetex’s Mardini, commercial flights need far more fuel than corporate jets. The Global 5000, one of the biggest private planes, consumes 450 gallons of gasoline per hour on average. The biggest commercial airliner, the Airbus A380, can consume up to 3,600 gallons per hour.
“Commercial flights must also fill 60-70 percent of the seats in order to barely break even, while everything in private aviation is driven by demand,” he continued.
DC Aviation said that the fuel prices would be adjusted in the flight fare and that the increase will be’minimal.’
More post-pandemic postponements?
The CEO of Jetex believes that commercial aviation will not recover to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2025 or 2026. This is mostly due to personnel challenges experienced by airlines in the United Kingdom and Europe.
“This is a huge benefit for our company since individuals would still have to travel in a private aircraft to prevent last-minute cancellations, delays, and baggage loss,” Mardini said. “The epidemic and rising fuel costs continue to have an effect on airlines.”
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