GlobeAir, the leading and award-winning private jet charter company, is setting the benchmark for private jet charter services in Europe.
Founded in 2007, Austria-based GlobeAir is Europe’s leader in the entry-level private jet sector, including a premium experience. With the world’s largest fleet of modern Cessna Citation Mustang jets, GlobeAir provides a smart way of travelling around Europe with maximum efficiency and flexibility, at very short notice.
Based in Hörsching near Linz, the company today employs some 160 people, half of whom are pilots, says the company founder and CEO Bernhard Fragner. Impressive growth in a little over a decade for a business that started from just an idea.
The story of GlobeAir is a story of personal dedication. A mechanical engineer educated at Vienna University, Mr Fragner decided he wanted a faster way of transport than driving his car around Europe to construction sites in one of his earlier jobs as a project engineer. Therefore, he got himself a private pilot’s licence and bought a plane. Shortly after, a commercial licence was acquired and his private transport turned into a business.
“Once I decided to leave my job and my former career, the plan was always to scale up to a larger business. Therefore, we immediately went for a fleet – three aircraft,” he muses. “The demand grew and we grew as well.”
Determined to Succeed
A major milestone came in 2010 when GlobeAir acquired an Italian company that went bankrupt and as a result, expanded its fleet to 10 aircraft overnight. “That was a big jump and the most significant change for the company, requiring a lot of organisational adjustment to handle such a substantial expansion that happened so suddenly. But it was a massive learning curve as well – during that period, we learned how to grow the business, how to grow the team and the organisation.”
Learning to handle the challenge served the company well later on during the global pandemic which ultimately proved to be a booming period for GlobeAir. A huge amount of travel was deemed essential and with many commercial routes halted, the potential for the growth of a company that offered quick, easy and convenient transportation in the wealthy countries that GlobeAir serves was huge and continued to defy expectations.
“With the first lockdown in mid-March 2020, I thought that was the end of the business. But a few weeks later, we started again – first, because there was quite a large number of people who continued to need to travel, and second, which I found a bit surprising because people turned to be concerned about big crowds and queueing at airports and were willing to pay for the privacy.”
Post-pandemic, GlobeAir is busier than before. The service is available 24/7 with 21 private jets connecting European cities, including London, Geneva, Zurich, Paris, Nice, and Milan with small airfields that are difficult to reach such as St. Moritz or Lugano and 950 more. The company boasts bespoke service before, during and after each flight and its prices are comparable to a business class fare – charter rates start at € 4,400, and empty legs at € 990.
The Right Mindset
Bernhard Fragner is a strong believer in maximising aircraft utilisation, offering a bespoke experience to meet individual needs and building strong IT support – a clear competitive advantage. As such, GlobeAir’s flights are bookable on every platform worldwide and the company was amongst the first to accept major cryptocurrencies.
The other differentiator is the range of bespoke products and solutions. “We sell time, not just private jet charter flights. GlobeAir ensures that each step of the travel experience is refined. We have partnered with other providers to offer tailor-made holidays, we also have special experience travel advisors who work with customers to shape that experience.”
“So, customers can book a luxury getaway at the Ritz in Berlin or a weekend in a Dolomites spa. We believe that directing our focus towards the luxury tourism industry is a perfect addition to our core business, considering the target group shows matching interests,” he notes.
Over the years, GlobeAir has collected many awards, but Mr Fragner points out that the biggest achievement is developing a successful, growing business from scratch. “The credit goes to all our hard-working employees, who made it all happen,” he says, adding that the employees pretty much mirror the clientele in terms of diversity.
“GlobeAir is a multinational team of 30 nationalities. Of course, there are barriers to overcome but there are also huge advantages – you can always learn from a diverse team, from other cultures and ethnic backgrounds. This is today’s Europe and that’s how we want it.”
Consolidated Future
The company has a sound CSR programme in place detailing both social and environmental aspects. “Sustainability is a big topic that we tackle on two fronts – in terms of aviation, we of course promote sustainable aviation fuel and are open to emerging new technologies, whatever they may be. We also offer carbon offset programmes to our passengers to offset their carbon footprint when they fly private.”
“But it is not just about fuel and energy. Every little step counts. Therefore, we address the environmental issue with a holistic approach looking at every relevant aspect of our company which could make improvements when it comes to sustainability. For example, we have become a paperless company and promote plastic-free cockpits.”
GlobeAir is also ready to embrace the other two prevailing trends – increased digitisation and the expected market consolidation. “We can certainly see opportunities and consider potential acquisitions. And we are already strong in digitisation and aim to stay at the forefront, to be the best-in-class in this respect,” says Mr Fragner.
He reflects that in the coming years, there will be some larger players emerging from the hugely fragmented market, who will be financially stronger and able to further improve the level of service. GlobeAir may be one of them.
Is this the dream coming true for Bernhard Fragner? “This was the idea from the beginning,” he says. “I was always motivated to go further and further. What I completely underestimated at first was how difficult it is to build an organisation. But we have done it and done it well. So, we are ready to do it again. Acquisitions may be challenging in terms of incorporating new teams and new cultures, but the benefits are ultimately rewarding for everyone.”
