Singapore, HK fave destinations of Filipino high-flyers
Wealthy Filipinos who fly privately usually go to Singapore and Hong Kong to conduct their business dealings, according to business aviation company VistaJet, noting the local executives have grown accustomed to the convenience of traveling on their own terms.
Crystal Wong, VistaJet executive vice president for sales in Asia, told the Inquirer that Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, has emerged as a “key growth market, with a growing number of affluent travelers turning to private aviation for both business and personal needs.”
Apart from Singapore and Hong Kong, these flyers with deep pockets also charter flights to Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, she added.
Wong noted that private jet traffic in Asia-Pacific rose by 14 percent in the first nine months of last year. Total flight hours grew by 20 percent in the same period.
VistaJet also saw its membership soar by 15 percent in the same period last year.
Growth market
Moving forward, Wong said that Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, has remained a “pivotal growth market” for business aviation.
“Economic factors, such as the region’s prosperity, infrastructure advancements and the expansion of business conglomerates into global markets, are driving demand for fast and convenient travel solutions,” she explained.
The company official noted their passengers were turning to private aviation so they can have direct flights to tier 2 and tier 3 cities, which are often underserved by commercial airlines.
“Filipino private flyers, much like their global counterparts, are increasingly embracing the simplicity, flexibility and efficiency of private aviation,” Wong said.
“They value the ability to travel on their own terms, bypassing the complexities of commercial air travel while benefiting from unmatched convenience, privacy, and tailored services,” she added.
Based on a report by aviation consultancy firm Asian Sky Group, there were 48 business jets in the Philippines by the end of 2023, most of which were Gulfstream’s s G650ER, G150, G450 and Textron’s CJ4 and Citation Excel.
The average fleet age of private aircraft in the Philippines was 15.2 years or two years older than the rest of the business jets in Asia Pacific, the report noted.
