Shortly before his death in 2022, in mid-December last year, one of the private jets that took off from the Eleftherios Venizelos General Aviation Terminal belonged to John Travolta. American actor, estimated to have over seven private jets and has learned to fly since the age of 22, belongs to an ever-growing category of people who choose to travel to and from Greece or domestically on a private flight. That is, through helicopter or someone reactive planewhich can range from a Learjet to an Embraer which, regardless of type, has limited passenger capacity compared to commercial airliners. As stated in “K” a businessman who frequently travels outside of Greece on a charter plane, the comparative advantages of private flights, such as limited waiting times at the airport, avoidance of possible delays, privacy and flexibility in terms of departure times, offset the increased costs to a certain extent.

These are perhaps the reasons why, during the summer months of 2022, it is estimated that every 20 minutes a private plane landed or departed from the largest Greek airports. According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in 2022, domestic and international private flights slightly exceeded 16,500. El. Venizelos with more than 4800 and approximately 2800 domestic and international flights. They are followed by the airports of Heraklion and Mykonos with a total of 2220 and over 1300 flights respectively. There have also been more than 21,000 flights by air taxis, helicopters and light aircraft, which usually make short-haul flights that they can make even at the “last minute”.

Also, according to the March data of the European Business Aviation Agency (EBAA), 48 single-engine, twin-engine and jet aircraft are stationed at the bases in Greece, of which 18 are large (for example, Challenger, Embraer) and 14 are double-seat. -engine. Based on this data and based on the number of aircraft of this type at its airports, Greece ranks 17th out of 31 countries, while a long distance separates it from Germany, which is the first in the corresponding ranking, having the largest number of airports with 789 jet aircraft . airplane. There are a total of 21 licensed airlines operating in Greece, meaning they have obtained an air operator license (AOC) and operate helicopters and airplanes.

However, there are also a significant number of foreign airlines flying to and from Greece. Because American Netjets, controlled by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, operates its fleet of more than 900 aircraft based on flight hours and, together with Wheels Up, controls the largest share of that market. As stated in “K” Founded in 1964 as Executive Jet Airways, Greece is seeing record growth in demand for private flying services. “We are seeing a 10% increase in bookings compared to 2019, while demand for private flights to and from Greece increased by 50% in the first quarter of this year compared to the corresponding period in 2019,” Netjets chief executive said. . whose Cessna (C68A, C700), Embraer (Phenom 300) and Bombardier (Challenger 350) are among the most frequently flown aircraft.

In the summer months of 2022, every 20 minutes, a private plane landed or departed from the largest Greek airports.

As the Netjet executive adds, Greece attracts very strong demand for private travel, which peaks during the summer season. “Especially during the hot summer months, Mykonos, Corfu, Rhodes and Santorini are top destinations on the islands in high demand,” he says. Athens also attracts passengers for leisure and travel: in the first two months of this year, Eleftherios Venizelos registered 869 private jet flights, of which 60% came from abroad.

The increase in demand for this type of travel is directly related to the increase in the number of people with high incomes. For example, in the US, billionaires over 700 years old have increased the value of their wealth by 60% compared to a decade ago, according to a report by the British organization Oxfam. Forbes magazine in 2000 estimated the number of billionaires in the world at only 470 people with a total fortune of 820 billion euros. However, today there are more than 2,600 billionaires with a fortune of 12 trillion euros, which has decreased by half a trillion. compared to March 2022 due to turmoil in the global economy.

In recent years, Greece has sought, albeit slowly, to attract high-net-worth individuals through a series of provisions that provide preferential taxation for individuals who decide to transfer their tax residency to the country. The increase in demand and sales for luxury and super-luxury homes worth more than 1 million euros is due to these rules.

However, the category of those who prefer to travel privately does not only include jet setters and foreign businessmen who have purchased a house in Greece or come to our country for a holiday or to attend some corporate or non-corporate event. It includes, as the pilot said in “K”, entrepreneurs and investors in the financial sector, in the real estate market, in insurance, athletes, singers, as well as top managers (for example, production managers, screenwriters) of the Hollywood industry. Americans, Europeans, Arabs, Israelis, Thais and Indians who have chosen Greece for their wedding are among the main users from abroad of private air travel. And they require comprehensive local services, from renting a certain class of car to booking certain places for nightlife.

The Greeks who… vote for flights from Greece by plane or domestically by helicopter are among the diverse business people who have a strong international development plan and frequent trips abroad. Without a refund, the cost of a flight from Athens to Mykonos by helicopter is around 5,000 euros, and the route (by plane) from the Greek capital to London costs more than 20,000 euros (if there is no long-term timeshare agreement). .

The bet on serving increased demand is complex

During this year’s tourism season, flights on Greek airwaves are expected to set a new record, according to industry estimates and data from the European Aviation Safety Organization (Eurocontrol). It is significant that in the first quarter of this year, compared to the corresponding period of 2019, the number of flights to Eleftherios Venizelos, which slightly exceeded 41,000, increased by 2.2%. During the same period, the region’s 14 largest airports operated by Fraport Greece experienced a 2.8% drop in flight activity. However, in March, when 7415 movements were recorded, this is a 9.2% increase compared to the same month in 2019.

As Greek airports are overwhelmed, private jets often go abroad again to find suitable places to put them up.

The anticipated record of flights, which is expected to be accompanied by historically high passenger traffic, makes it even more difficult to bet on the smooth service of increased demand. Last summer, for example, the smooth operation of private jet flights became an unsolvable puzzle, with one of the biggest problems being the lack of suitable parking spaces at the country’s airports.

Since private jets have to be parked somewhere to wait for passengers to finish their journey – except for those leased solely for the purpose of flying – and the size of Greek airports is limited, they often have to fly abroad again to find suitable places to accommodate them.

The overcrowding of Greek airports is evidenced by the fact that last year the plane of the Egyptian businessman Shafik Gabr, one of the richest people in the country, could not get permission to park at the airport of a large Greek island in Ionian for more than five days. Its pilot complained in a letter to the Greek government, stating that the problem caused two other private jets visiting the Egyptian oligarch to cancel their flights to Greece entirely.

With the existing infrastructure of Greek airports being limited and the number of users constantly increasing, uninterrupted service to demand is rated as an achievement this summer.