Charter Report 2023

ASIA-PACIFIC REGION 2023 

Data & Analysis 

REGIONAL & MARKET OVERVIEWS 

AIRCRAFT REGISTRIES 

OPERATORS 

OEMS 

FLIGHT ROUTES 

Special Features 

SURVEY RESULTS 

MODEL POSITIONING 

MOBILE APPS 

ASIA-PACIFIC CHARTER REPORT 2023 | I

CONTENTS 

05 

07 

09 

12 

14 

17 

19 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

REGIONAL OVERVIEW 

An overview of the distribution and the changes of 

business jet charter fleets across subregions and countries 

within Asia-Pacific. 

MARKET OVERVIEW 

A breakdown of the charter fleet in Asia-Pacific by size 

categories, OEMs, models, and age. 


A look at the various aircraft registries used for the charter 

fleet in Asia-Pacific. 

CHARTER OPERATOR OVERVIEW 

An overview of the top charter operators within Asia-Pacific 

and their fleet composition. 

SINO JET’S CHINA CHARTER 

INCREASE 

Sino Jet’s Jenny Lau shares her views on the expanding 

mainland China charter market, and how the recent eVTOL 

acquisitions will help the group provide end-to-end services. 

CHARTER SURVEY RESULTS 

Results from our quarterly survey that asks respondents 

for their outlook on charter intentions, preferences and 

the factors they take into consideration when chartering 

an aircraft. 

21 

25 

28 

30 

32 

CHARTER FLIGHT ROUTES 

An overview of the most popular charter flight routes within 

Asia-Pacific from mid-2022 to mid-2023. 

OEM OVERVIEW 

A look at the most popular OEMs in Asia-Pacific by charter 

fleet size. 

ASIA-PACIFIC CHARTER 

AIRCRAFT MODEL POSITIONING 

A look at the estimated hourly rates and cabin sizes of 

different charter aircraft. 

CHARTER MOBILE APPS 

A snapshot of Asia-Pacific-based charter mobile apps in 

use and their various functions. 

APPENDIX 

COVER IMAGE 

TAG Aviation Gulfstream G600 

1 | ASIA-PACIFIC CHARTER REPORT 2023

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ASIA-PACIFIC CHARTER REPORT 2023 | 2

EDITOR’S NOTE 

It would be remiss of me not 

to begin this Editor’s Note by 

thanking everybody that voted 

for Asian Sky Group to win 

the ‘Best Media’ award at the 

recent Asian Business Aviation 

(AsBAA) Gala Awards Dinner. 

Although we have now won the 

award five times in a row, each 

time we have won is as equally 

as important to us as the first time. 

The award recognizes our dedication to publishing accurate, 

verifiable data that helps business leaders like you make timely 

and accurate business critical decisions. That is the reason 

why Asian Sky Group began publishing reports and why we will 

continue to invest in our research. 

Two weeks before the awards dinner my son had the opportunity 

to visit me in Hong Kong for the first time. As a 16-year-old, it was 

also the first time that he had been in Asia. In the taxi on the way 

to the airport to catch his flight back I asked him what he thought 

about Hong Kong, and if he liked it. Fortunately, he did, and can’t 

wait to come back. His answer to why he like it made think for a 

while though; “It’s just different here,” he said. 

It might seem like a surly response from a typical 16-year-old, and 

to be fair to him this conversation did take place at 06:00, but on 

reflection his response makes perfect sense. Although he lives in 

Europe, he’s been to the US and Latin America, so coming to Asia 

was almost like a mini culture shock to him. 

It is easy for those of us lucky enough to live in Asia to forget 

that Asia is different to the rest of the world. This is especially 

noticeable in our industry, where we often group Asia in with the 

rest of the world. This happens frequently, especially when talking 

about the health of the industry. But it is, quite frankly, a mistake. 

It is true that the total Asian-based fleet of business jets make 

up a small percentage of the global fleet. But unlike most other 

regions, possibly with the exception of the Middle East, the 

installed fleet here is more valuable in dollar terms per aircraft 

than it is elsewhere, thanks to the desire of Asian owners to buy 

large aircraft. 

But the Asia market isn’t just different due to the size of its aircraft. 

The subtle nuances from country to country make the markets here 

fascinating, and in some cases, almost immune to what is going on 

outside of the region. 

Of course, that isn’t always the case, but it was noticeable that due 

to their geographic size, the business jet markets in some Asian 

countries recovered from COVID-19 quicker than others. This was 

mostly because they had large domestic markets that were hungry 

to travel but weren’t yet able to travel internationally. 

One of those countries was China, which during COVID-19 saw an 

influx of new charter clients. They were attracted by the relative 

safety that flying private offered versus commercial flying, and in 

some cases the chose to fly private because they had no choice as 

many commercial airline schedules had been cut. 

This was not common to China though. Globally we saw a bounce, 

we saw new charter clients flying private for the first time. But as 

we began to manage and live with the pandemic, the number of 

charter clients began to slow down. Some stuck around, others 

went back to the airlines. 

This wasn’t the case in China though, where still to this day the 

country is still seeing a surge of charter enquiries. So many in fact 

that one of Asia-Pacific’s biggest private jet operators told Asian 

Sky Group that it doesn’t have enough capacity to keep up with the 

number of enquiries that it has been getting and could possibly 

be looking to acquire more aircraft to keep up with demand. 

That operator was Sino Jet, and you can read more about our 

conversation with its President Jenny Lau on page 17. 

Elsewhere in this edition we take a forensic look the Asia-Pacific 

charter fleet by dissecting the region’s biggest operators, as well 

as the most popular aircraft types used for charter flights. We also 

look at the most popular aircraft registries used for the charter 

fleet, and the most popular OEMs. 


PUBLISHER 

Special features in this edition include a look at the most 

commonly used charter apps, as well as a dive into the most 

popular charter routes. 

Last, but very much not least, we present the results from 

our charter survey, which asked respondents, amongst other 

things, if they intended to charter an aircraft in the next 12 

months. Spoiler Alert: More than half of all respondents said 

that they would. 

As always, we would like to take this opportunity to thank 

everybody who contributed, no matter how big or small, to the 

data and production of this report. 

EDITORIAL & MARKET RESEARCH 

Alud Davies 

Bowen Zhang 

Casper Zhuang 

Charlie Xu 

Cynthia Ning 

Dennis Lau 

Enoch Chan 

Qianyun Zhou 

Samuel Gao 

Winny Cheng 

DESIGN 

Amy Liu-Lhuissier 

Zoe Xiao 

ADVERTISING/ENQUIRIES: 

Alud Davies 

alud@asianskygroup.com 

(852) 5600 2747 

www.asianskygroup.com 

Sincerely, 

Alud Davies 

Head of Research & Publications 

Asian Sky Group 

The materials and information provided by Asian Sky Group in this 

report are for reference only. While such information was compiled 

using the best available data as of June 30, 2023, any information 

we provide about how we may interpret the data and market, or 

how certain issues may be addressed is provided generally without 

considering your specific circumstances. Such information should 

not be regarded as a substitute for professional advice. Independent 

professional advice should be sought before taking action on any 

matters to which information provided in this report may be relevant. 

Asian Sky Group shall not be liable for any losses, damage, costs 

or expenses howsoever caused, arising directly or indirectly from 

the use of or inability to use this report or use of or reliance upon 

any information or material provided in this report or otherwise in 

connection with any representation, statement or information on or 

contained in this report. 

Asian Sky Group endeavors to ensure that the information contained 

in this report is accurate as at the date of publication, but does not 

guarantee or warrant its accuracy or completeness, or accept any 

liability of whatever nature for any losses, damage, costs or expenses 

howsoever caused, whether arising directly or indirectly from any error 

or omission in compiling such information. This report also uses third 

party information not compiled by Asian Sky Group. Asian Sky Group 

is not responsible for such information and makes no representation 

about the accuracy, completeness or any other aspect of information 

contained. The information, data, articles, or resources provided by 

any other parties do not in any way signify that Asian Sky Group 

endorses the same. 


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

The Asia-Pacific Business Jet Charter Report 2023 provides a comprehensive overview of the charter industry in 

the Asia-Pacific region. As such, it presents regional and market overviews, as well as data on aircraft registries, 

operator insights, OEM statistics, and the role of mobile apps in the sector. This report also looks into the changing 

dynamics of the industry, revealing trends and patterns that can inform strategic planning and decision-making. 

Overall, the Asia-Pacific charter fleet saw a slight decrease in the year 

to the end of June 2023, standing at 296 business jets, which was 

a 1.7% reduction from the previous year. Despite this, some regions 

experienced growth, including South Asia which saw a 9.5% increase 

reaching 69 aircraft. Northeast Asia, saw the highest growth rate of 

25%, reaching a total of 25 aircraft. However, Greater China saw the 

steepest decline, falling by 21.1% from the previous year. 

Three new charter aircraft were delivered in the year to 2023, and 11 

pre-owned aircraft were added to the charter fleet. These additions 

couldn’t help offset the 38 aircraft removed from the charter fleet. 

Further changes occurred in the type of missions that aircraft 

undertook, with 48 aircraft transitioning from private/corporate 

missions to charter roles, and 29 aircraft shifting from charter roles 

back to private/corporate missions. 

Bombardier and Textron were the leading OEMs, each having 29% 

of the total charter fleet in the region. Other notable OEMs included 

Gulfstream, which increased its market share to 17.2% with the 

addition of three aircraft. Dassault and Embraer were also significant 

players in the region, each holding approximately 10% of the market. 

Among Dassault’s fleet, the Falcon 2000 was the most common 

Large jet model, with the Legacy 600 dominating Embraer’s Large jet 

fleet. 

The size category of business jets is a critical factor shaping the 

charter market in the Asia-Pacific region. Long Range aircraft 

dominate the charter fleet, making up 27% of the total number 

of available aircraft, which reflected the increased demand for 

intercontinental travel in the post-pandemic era. The Gulfstream 

G650ER leads this category as the most popular charter aircraft 

in Asia-Pacific. At the other end of the spectrum, the Very Light 

jet category, represented by models like the Cessna Citation 510 

(Mustang), experienced significant growth, increasing by 46.7%. 

Light and Large jets both experienced reductions but remain popular 

in the charter market, holding 24% and 22% of the market share, 

respectively. 

Australia (VH-), India (VT-), and mainland China (B-) were the most 

popular registries for charter aircraft in Asia-Pacific with local 

registration rates of 98%, 91%, and 85%, respectively. Offshore 

registrations also saw significant growth, with San Marino being the 

most popular location, reaching 27 aircraft by the end of June 2023. 

TAG Aviation, Phenix Jet, and Australian Corporate Jet Centres 

(ACJC) emerged as the top operators, with fleet sizes over ten 

aircraft. Overall, there were 16 operators with a fleet of five or more 

charter aircraft. A further 15 operators had three or more charter 

aircraft in their fleet. 

The increasing prominence of mobile apps in the charter industry 

is also noteworthy, with 16 active apps providing private jet 

charter services. These apps have been instrumental in enhancing 

efficiency and broadening customer reach, simplifying the process 

of obtaining quotes and managing bookings. However, despite the 

convenience offered by these apps, the engagement of client service 

representatives remains a critical component in the charter booking 

process due to the complex nature of charter bookings. 

Despite a slight decrease in the total number of charter aircraft, the 

Asia-Pacific charter market is showing signs of resilience, with some 

regions and operators experiencing growth. The rise of mobile apps 

is a testament to the industry’s ability to adapt to changing consumer 

preferences, signaling a promising future for the charter industry in 

the region. 


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5 4 

58 

65 

57 

41 

3 3 

SOUTH KOREA 

17 

22 

JAPAN 

PAKISTAN 

MAINLAND 

CHINA 

11 9 

3 6 

INDIA 

HONG KONG 

SAR 

TAIWAN 

10 8 

21 20 

THAILAND 

8 5 

2 

6 

VIETNAM 

16 15 

PHILIPPINES 

SINGAPORE 

MALAYSIA 

14 17 

INDONESIA 

301 

296 

62 62 

2022 1 

-1.7% 

2023 

AUSTRALIA 

5 2 

OTHERS 3 

NOTES: 

1. 2022 data is based on Asian Sky Group’s adjusted and updated numbers. 

2. Only includes business jets that are operated under Part 135/AOC passenger 

carrying rules that have been released by the owner for passenger charter. 

3. Others include Kiribati, Laos, New Caledonia, and PNG. 

4. Subregion and Country/Region are defined in appendix on page 32. 

9 11 

NEW ZEALAND 

7 | ASIA-PACIFIC CHARTER REPORT 2023 



As of the end of June 2023, Asia-Pacific had 296 business jets available 

for charter, marking a decrease of five aircraft from the 301 recorded at 

the end of June 2022. This represents a 1.7% reduction in fleet size. Of 

the countries/regions within Asia-Pacific, six experienced an increase in 

their local charter fleets, while three maintained their fleet size and ten 

witnessed a decrease. 

With a total of 75 aircraft, Oceania continues to have the largest 

charter fleet in Asia-Pacific. With 62 business jets available for charter, 

Australia’s fleet is unchanged from the previous year. New Zealand 

added two aircraft to its charter fleet, bringing its total to 11. Oceania 

has maintained the same charter demand and even managed to expand 

slightly, which is impressive given that the number of business jets 

available for charter across the region declined. 

Despite a 1.4% decrease, Southeast Asia’s total fleet of charter aircraft 

reached 71, coming in as the second biggest charter fleet in Asia-Pacific 

behind Oceania. Malaysia and Thailand have seen the steepest declines 

in their own charter fleets, falling by 37.5% and 20%, respectively. 

Philippines and Singapore each made minor adjustments of one aircraft. 

With the addition of four and three business jets for charter, respectively, 

Vietnam and Indonesia are the two nations in Southeast Asia with the 

strongest growth. However, overall, the decline in Southeast Asia is still 

lower than the average across Asia-Pacific. 

With India’s charter fleet significantly expanding, South Asia’s overall 

fleet climbed by 9.5% from the previous year, reaching 69 aircraft, 

increasing its ranking to the third place. With 65 aircraft, India now 

has the largest charter fleet in Asia-Pacific, surpassing Australia in the 

total number of business jets available for charter. Other South Asian 

countries charter fleets had no substantial changes, with the exception 

of Pakistan, which lost one aircraft. South Asia’s overall charter business 

has therefore become the third most popular market in Asia-Pacific. 

Greater China experienced the steepest decline in the number of charter 

aircraft in Asia-Pacific between mid-2022 and mid-2023, falling from third 

to fourth place. The overall charter fleet in Greater China decreased by 15 

aircraft, a decline of 21.1% from the previous year. The most significant 

declines occurred in mainland China and Hong Kong, which lost 16 and 

two aircraft respectively. Despite a 28.1% reduction in its charter fleet, 

the majority of aircraft remained in mainland China, having transitioned 

to Part 91 operations. Despite the decline, mainland China still had one 

of the largest charter fleets in Asia-Pacific, with 41 aircraft, ranking third 

overall. Taiwan added three aircraft in the same period. 

With a 25% increase from mid-2022 to mid-2023, Northeast Asia is the 

region with the highest growth rate in Asia-Pacific, reaching a total of 25 

aircraft. The charter fleet in Northeast Asia increased by five aircraft, all 

of which were contributions from Japan. Japan’s business jet charter 

fleet increased by 29.4% compared with the previous year, reaching a 

total of 22 aircraft, ranking fourth in Asia-Pacific. The Japanese charter 

BUSINESS JET CHARTER FLEET 2 

LARGEST 

COUNTRY/REGION 

65 

INDIA 

MOST NET FLEET 

ADDITIONS 

+7 

INDIA 

FLEET GROWTH IN MAJOR MARKETS 

Net Fleet Growth 

SUBREGION 4 2023 2023 

South Asia +6 9.5% 

Northeast Asia +5 25.0% 

Oceania - - 

Southeast Asia -1 -1.4% 

Greater China -15 -21.1% 

TOTAL -5 -1.7% 

Net Fleet Growth 

MOST NET FLEET 

DEDUCTIONS 

-16 

MAINLAND CHINA 

Growth Rate 

Growth Rate 

COUNTRY/REGION 4 2023 2023 

India +7 12.1% 

Japan +5 29.4% 

Vietnam +4 200.0% 

Indonesia +3 21.4% 

Taiwan +3 100.0% 

New Zealand +2 22.2% 

Australia - - 

South Korea - - 

Pakistan -1 -20.0% 

Singapore -1 -4.8% 

Philippines -1 -6.3% 

Thailand -2 -20.0% 

Hong Kong SAR -2 -18.2% 

Malaysia -3 -37.5% 

Mainland China -16 -28.1% 

Others 3 -3 -60.0% 

TOTAL -5 -1.7% 

Ranked by 2023 net fleet growth in descending order from the highest. 

market has also maintained stable growth in recent years, with the 

charter fleet now showing an increase for two consecutive years. 




The total number of aircraft in the Asia-Pacific charter fleet at the 

end of June 2023 dipped slightly to 296, down from 301 at the end of 

June 2022. 

Three new aircraft were delivered in 2023, while 11 pre-owned 

aircraft were added to the charter fleet. Additionally, 38 aircraft were 

removed from the charter fleet, with 18 leaving Asia-Pacific, mostly 

heading to the United States. Another 18 aircraft were either stored 

or underwent heavy maintenance and the remaining two aircraft 

were retired. Overall, while the total number of charter aircraft in 

Asia-Pacific decreased slightly when compared to the previous year, 

the demand in the charter market seems to continue to recover. 

FLEET ADDITIONS AND DEDUCTIONS 

301 3 11 

Fleet 2022 

New Delivery 

Pre-Owned 

Addition 

Mission Changed 

to Charter 

48 -38 

Deduction 

-29 

Mission Changed 

from Charter 

296 

Fleet 2023 

TOP CHARTER MODELS 

CHARTER FLEET BY SIZE CATEGORY 

CORP. 

AIRLINER 

4 4 3 2 2 

CRJ100/200 BBJ ACJ318 Lineage 1000 ACJ319 

LONG 

13 12 11 

9 9 

RANGE G650ER G550 Global 6000 Global Global 5000 

Express XRS 

Very Light (7%) 

Light (24%) 

Medium (14%) 

296 

Corp. Airliner (6%) 

Long Range (27%) 

Large (22%) 

LARGE 10 10 8 7 6 

Legacy 600 

G450 

Challenger 

604 

Falcon 2000 

Challenger 

605 

MEDIUM 10 10 5 4 3 

Citation 560XL 

(Excel/XLS/XLS+) 

Hawker 

800/XP 

Learjet 60 XR 

Hawker 

850XP 

Citation 

680(Sovereign/+) 

Long Range jets are better suited for intercontinental travel, with 

notable examples being the Gulfstream G550/G650 series and 

Bombardier’s Global 5000/6000 series. Among this category, the 

G650ER, with 13, emerged as the most popular charter model in Asia- 

Pacific. It was closely followed by the G550 and Global 6000, with 12 

and 11 aircraft respectively. 

LIGHT 

11 10 8 6 6 

Citation 550 Citation 525A 

(II/IISP/SII/Bravo) (CJ2/CJ2+) 

Learjet 45 XR 

Citation 

525C(CJ4) 

Citation 

560(V/Ultra) 

On the other hand, Very Light jets, with their lower operating costs, 

are well-suited for fast transportation within domestic or neighboring 

countries. The Cessna Citation 510 (Mustang), manufactured by 

Textron, stands out as the most popular Very Light jet, with 11 units 

in Asia-Pacific. Overall, the Long Range category accounts for 27% of 

the market, while the Very Light category makes up 7%. 

VERY 

LIGHT 

11 4 4 

Citation 

510(Mustang) 

Phenom 100 Citation 525 

(M2/CJ1/+) 

3 

Premier I/IA 

In the Large jet charter market, Embraer’s Legacy 600 and 

Gulfstream’s G450 are the preferred choices, with ten units each in 

Asia-Pacific. Overall, the charter market is showing a preference for 



intercontinental aircraft models or Light 

jets in 2023. This reflects the increased 

demand for international travel within the 

Asia-Pacific in the post-pandemic era. 

NET FLEET GROWTH Positive Negative No Change 

OEM Size Category 1 2022 

In 2023, charter operators continued 

to adapt their operational strategies 

in response to changing demand. It is 

worth noting that, when compared to the 

previous year, the only categories that 

experienced growth were Long Range 

jets and especially in the Very Light jet 

category, which jumped up by 46.7%. 

Although the total number of aircraft in 

this category remains relatively small, it 

still reflects a notable shift in the demand 

landscape for charter services. 

84 

TEXTRON 3.6% LONG RANGE 2.5% 

87 

BOMBARDIER -6.5% 

93 

LIGHT -4.0% 

75 

87 72 

GULFSTREAM 6.3% 

48 

LARGE -3.0% 

66 

51 64 

EMBRAER 0.0% 

31 

31 

MEDIUM -14.9% 

40 

47 

79 

81 

Other categories of charter aircraft saw 

varying degrees of fortune when compared 

to the previous year, with Medium jets 

experiencing the most pronounced decline, 

dropping by seven aircraft. Nevertheless, 

Medium jets still maintain a 14% share 

of the charter market in Asia-Pacific. The 

Cessna Citation 560XL family (Excel/XLS/ 

XLS+) and the Hawker 800 / 800XP are the 

two most popular models in this category. 

DASSAULT -6.9% 

AIRBUS 25.0% 

BOEING 0.0% 

4 

CORP. 

19 

5 AIRLINER 

-10.5% 

17 

4 

4 

29 

27 

VERY LIGHT 

46.7% 

15 

22 

Light and Large jets both saw reductions 

of two to three aircraft, but they remain 

highly popular in the charter market, 

holding 24% and 22% of the market share, 

respectively. Among Light jets, Textron’s 

aircraft are more favored by operators, with 

OTHERS -50.0% 

the Cessna Citation 550 (II/IISP/SII/Bravo) and Citation 525A (CJ2/ 

CJ2+) leading the way with a combined total of over 21 aircraft. 

Although Bombardier was one of the OEMs with the largest share of 

charter aircraft in Asia-Pacific, the number of aircraft in its fleet had 

dipped by six aircraft when compared to this previous year. 

However, it is worth noting that Textron, which also has a sizable 

market share, added three aircraft in 2023. Overall, when combined, 

Bombardier and Textron accounted for 29.4% of all charter aircraft in 

Asia-Pacific. They were followed by Gulfstream, which added three 

4 

8 

Notes: 

1. Aircraft size category is defined in the appendix on page 32. 

2. Other OEMs include Dornier, Fokker, Honda, IAI, Nextant and Pilatus. 

301 

296 


aircraft increasing its market share to 17.2%. The three well-known 

OEMs business jet charter fleets have an obvious advantage. They 

collectively have more than 76% of the market share in Asia-Pacific. 

In addition, Embraer and Dassault also have a significant presence 

in the region, each holding approximately 10% of the market. Other 

OEMs collectively reduced their aircraft count by four in 2023. Among 

them, IAI decreased its presence in Asia-Pacific by a total of eight 

aircraft over two consecutive years. On the other hand, Pilatus added 

one aircraft compared to the previous year. 



CHARTER FLEET SIZE CATEGORY BY COUNTRY/REGION 

Corp. Airliner Long Range Large Medium Light Very Light 

INDIA 

TOTAL 

AIRCRAFT 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 

65 

8% 

15% 29% 

17% 23% 8% 

AUSTRALIA 

62 

2% 

13% 15% 

11% 

42% 

18% 


41 

12% 51% 

27% 

5% 

5% 

JAPAN 

22 

5% 

50% 

5% 5% 

27% 

9% 

SINGAPORE 

20 

25% 

15% 

35% 25% 

BASE COUNTRY/REGION 

INDONESIA 

PHILIPPINES 

NEW ZEALAND 

HONG KONG SAR 

THAILAND 

17 

15 

11 

9 

8 

6% 6% 53% 24% 

12% 

7% 27% 

27% 40% 

9% 27% 9% 27% 

27% 

78% 

25% 13% 38% 13% 

13% 

27% 

TAIWAN 

6 

33% 

67% 

VIETNAM 

6 

83% 

17% 

MALAYSIA 

5 

80% 

20% 

PAKISTAN 

4 

50% 

50% 

SOUTH KOREA 

3 

33% 67% 

From a country/region’s perspective, the percentage of Long Range 

charter aircraft is particularly high in Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, 

Vietnam, Malaysia, and South Korea. Especially for Vietnam and 

Malaysia, which had more than 83% and 80%, respectively. On the 

other hand, countries/regions including Australia tend to prefer Light 

or Very Light jets, with over 60% of Australia’s charter fleet falling into 

these categories. New Zealand also follows this trend, with over 54% 

of its charter fleet consisting of Light or Very Light jets. Indonesia had 

more than 53% of its charter fleet made up of of Large jets. Mainland 

China and Japan have a wider variety of charter fleet types, but they 

are still primarily dominated by Long Range jet models. 

CHARTER FLEET BY AGE 

>20 years (24%) 

16-20 years (23%) 

296 

0-5 years (11%) 

6-10 years (16%) 

11-15 years (26%) 

The average age of business jets used for charter services across 

Asia-Pacific is relatively high. Over 73% of these business jets were 

over ten years old, with more than 24% exceeding 20 years. New 

aircraft delivered within the past five years make up only 11% of 

the total fleet. As a result, the average age of charter aircraft in 

Asia-Pacific stands at 15.6 years. There are a total of 72 business 

jets with ages exceeding 20 years, with 29 primarily operating 

in Australia. Notably, Long Range jets and Very Light have lower 

average ages compared to the Asia-Pacific average, at nine years 

and 14 years, respectively. 




CHARTER REGISTRY COMPOSITION 

Local United States Offshore Others 

INDIA 

TOTAL 

AIRCRAFT 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 

65 

91% 

5% 

5% 

AUSTRALIA 

62 

98% 

11% 

2% 


41 

85% 

15% 

JAPAN 

22 

45% 23% 41% 

14% 

SINGAPORE 

20 

5% 

35% 

60% 

BASE COUNTRY/REGION 

INDONESIA 

PHILIPPINES 

NEW ZEALAND 

HONG KONG SAR 

THAILAND 

17 

15 

11 

9 

8 

71% 

6% 

24% 

93% 

7% 

82% 18% 

100% 

88% 13% 

TAIWAN 

6 

67% 

67% 33% 

VIETNAM 

6 

83% 

17% 

MALAYSIA 

5 

40% 

60% 

PAKISTAN 

SOUTH KOREA 

4 

3 

100% 

100% 

NOTE: 1. Offshore Registrations include Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Malta and San Marino. 

2. Others indicate any registration except for Local, US and Offshore. 

Australia (VH-), India (VT-), and mainland China (B-) were the most 

popular local registries for charter aircraft in Asia-Pacific at the end 

of June 2023, with 61, 59 and 35 aircraft registered, respectively. 

The most popular registrations happen to be from the three 

countries with the largest business jet charter fleets in Asia-Pacific, 

with the the local registration rates of charter aircraft in these 

countries reaching 98%, 91% and 85%, respectively. Along with 

these countries/regions, the Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, 

and Vietnam all have large percentages of locally registered charter 

aircraft—all of which are above 80%. In South Korea and Pakistan, 

all charter aircraft are registered in their own countries. Owing to 

local cabotage laws, many charter operators opt to register their 

aircraft locally. This strategy typically offers greater flexibility for 

conducting domestic flights and often results in fewer restrictions 

when applying for route permissions. Many countries/regions in 

Asia-Pacific still maintain a sizable number of US-registered (N) 

aircraft in their charter fleets. Frequent business exchanges with the 

United States have made U.S. registration (N) become very popular 

among Japan and Taiwan’s charter aircaft, accounting for 41% and 

33%, respectively. Hong Kong SAR and Singapore are two countries/ 

regions that do not have any locally registered charter aircraft. Hong 

Kong’s current charter fleet is all registered offshore. More than 60% 

of Singapore’s charter fleet is registered in Australia, some of these 

aircraft serve both charter and medical purposes. The advantage 

of having the aircraft based in Singapore also includes faster 

repositioning to reach South Asia or East Asia. 



CHARTER OFFSHORE REGISTRY 

The appeal of offshore registries has grown significantly in recent 

SAN MARINO 

19 

27 

years. The advantage of offshore registration is not only to help 

operators improve the flexibility of global operations, but it can also 

CAYMAN ISLANDS 

7 

7 

lead to reduced costs. San Marino has the largest number of offshore 

charter aircraft operating in Asia-Pacific, and it is also the offshore 

MALTA 

3 

2 

registration location with the most significant growth, reaching 27 

aircraft, an increase of 42.1% by the end of June 2023. TAG Aviation 

BERMUDA 

ISLE OF MAN 

1 

2 

2022 


has the most San Marino (T7-) aircraft, with 13 registrations. Phenix 

Jet chose to register its charter fleet offshore in the Cayman Islands 

(VP-C), and had five aircraft registered on the island at the end of 

June 2023. 


CHARTER 

OPERATOR OVERVIEW 

At the end of June 2023 there were 16 

charter operators with five or more charter 

aircraft in their fleets in the Asia-Pacific 

region. In total, the 121 aircraft operated 

by these 16 operators account for 41% of 

the total Asia-Pacific charter fleet. In terms 

of fleet size, TAG Aviation, Phenix Jet, and 

Australian Corporate Jet Centres (ACJC) are 

the only three charter operators with more 

than ten aircraft in their fleet. Nine of the top 

operators have charter fleets ranging from 

five to six aircraft. 

Both Phenix Jet and TAG Aviation had 14 

aircraft available for charter positioning 

them at a shared top rank. TAG Aviation 

had increased its fleet three aircraft thanks 

to a number of additions and role changes. 

Notably, TAG Aviation’s charter fleet has 

young average age of just 6.6 years, which 

offers a more comfortable passenger 

experience with modern equipment and 

cabin amenities. Phenix Jet also added one 

business jet for charter operations. TAG 

Aviation and Phenix Jet have a high degree 

of similarity in their fleet composition, 

primarily consisting of Long Range business 

jets, with 12 and 11 aircraft, respectively. 

Bombardier and Gulfstream are the 

most used OEMs (Original Equipment 

Manufacturer) by both operators, with the majority of their charter 

fleets comprised of aircraft from these manufacturers. 

In contrast to Phenix Jet and TAG, which both added aircraft to their 

fleets, ACJC, which came third on the list, saw a slight decrease in 

CHARTER OPERATORS WITH FIVE OR MORE JETS 

PHENIX JET 

TAG AVIATION 

ACJC 3 

VSR VENTURES 2 

AIR LINK 

CLUB ONE AIR 2 

SELETAR JET 

ASIAN AEROSPACE 

RELIANCE COM. DEALERS 2 

DEER JET 2 

EXECUJET 

AIR CHARTER SERVICES (INDIA) 2 

REVESCO AVIATION 

AMBER AVIATION 

PACIFIC FLIGHT SERVICES 

FUJI BUSINESS JET 

AVERAGE 

AGE 

7.6 

6.6 

24.4 

16.9 

14.5 

22.9 

16.0 

22.7 

16.8 

12.5 

15.3 

16.2 

19.8 

14.6 

19.8 

8.4 

Fleet Size (Change Compared with 2022) 

14 (+1) 

14 (+3) 

11 (-1) 

9 (+2) 

8 (+3) 

8 

7 (-1) 

6 

6 (-1) 

6 (-2) 

6 (-1) 

5 

5 

5 (+4) 

5 

5 (+3) 

TOP 10 OPERATORS 

TOP 16 

OPERATORS = 

41% OF TOTAL 

FLEET 

NOTE: 

1. Only operators with five or more jets are included. 

2. The fleet numbers of these operators are only based on Asian Sky Group’s internal research and not verified 

by the operators. 

3. ACJC - Australian Corporate Jet Centres. 

its charter fleet. However, its fleet is highly diversified, offerings five 

different sizes of business jets for charter, which cater for a broader 

range of passenger needs. However, the average age of ACJC’s 

charter fleet is high at 24.4 years, compared to the Asia-Pacific 

average of 15.6 years. 



Among the top operators, it is noteworthy that Air Link, Amber 

Aviation and Fuji Business Jet added three to four charter aircraft 

compared to the previous year, securing their places among the top 

16 charter operators in Asia-Pacific. Additionally, Air Link’s entire 

charter fleet consists of aircraft from Textron, of which all are 

either Light or Very Light business jets. 

Among the top 16 operators, Long Range and Light business jets are 

the most popular categories, constituting 32% and 26% of the total 

fleet, respectively. From an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) 

perspective, Bombardier, Textron, and Gulfstream are the three most 

favored OEMs, accounting for over 83% of the charter fleet among 

the top 16 operators in Asia-Pacific. 

TOP CHARTER OPERATORS FLEET BY SIZE CATEGORY 


0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 

16 

PHENIX JET 

TAG AVIATION 

ACJC 

1 11 2 

1 11 1 1 

1 1 2 

3 4 

VSR VENTURES 

1 

8 

AIR LINK 

1 

7 

CLUB ONE AIR 

1 

5 

1 1 

SELETAR JET 

DEER JET 

1 1 

5 

4 

2 


2 

4 

RELIANCE COM. DEALERS 

2 3 

1 

EXECUJET 

3 

2 

1 


AIR CHARTER SERVICES (INDIA) 


1 

1 

2 

1 

4 

3 

3 

TOP 3 

LONG RANGE – 32% 

LIGHT – 26% 

LARGE – 19% 


1 

3 

1 


1 

4 



TOP CHARTER OPERATORS FLEET BY OEM 

Airbus Boeing Bombardier Dassault Embraer Gulfstream Textron 

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 

16 

PHENIX JET 

TAG AVIATION 

1 7 4 

2 

1 5 

8 

ACJC 

4 

2 

5 

VSR VENTURES 

AIR LINK 

8 

8 

1 

CLUB ONE AIR 

1 

5 

2 

SELETAR JET 

4 3 

DEER JET 

1 

5 


3 

3 

RELIANCE COM. DEALERS 

1 

3 

1 

1 

EXECUJET 


AIR CHARTER SERVICES (INDIA) 


2 

2 

2 

4 

3 

3 

3 

1 

1 

TOP 3 

BOMBARDIER – 36% 

TEXTRON – 25% 

GULFSTREAM – 22% 


2 

1 

2 


1 

4 

OTHER OPERATORS WITH 3 OR MORE JETS 

Operator Name Fleet Size Avg. Age 

Princely Jets 4 19.3 

Skyline Aviation 4 17.0 

Travya 4 17.5 

Air One Aviation 4 13.0 

Premiair 3 13.7 

Sino Jet 3 10.7 

King Leader Club (BAA) 3 11.3 

Sun Air 3 1.0 

Flight Options 3 11.7 

Formula Aircraft 3 37.0 

Maxem Aviation 3 21.0 

Korean Air 3 11.7 

Machjet Int'l 3 16.3 

Global Jet International 3 12.0 

Lily Jet 3 6.3 

However, there were still 15 charter operators in Asia-Pacific with 

more than three charter aircraft in their fleet. Among them, Lily Jet 

underwent the most significant changes, reducing its charter fleet by 

five aircraft for Part 135 charter operations, causing it to drop from 

the fourth position last year to a ranking beyond the top 16. However, 

these aircraft remain under Lily Jet’s operation but are no longer part 

of its charter fleet. 

It is also worth noting that a significant portion of the leading 

charter operators fleets were not owned by charter companies. 

Aircraft owners will frequently allow their management companies 

to make their aircraft available when they are not using it, subject to 

the owners being informed about each flight before its confirmed. 

However, such aircraft may not always be available for charter 

services, indicating that their availability can fluctuate. The benefit 

of this setup is twofold: it boosts the availability of aircraft for 

charter, thereby enhancing flexibility, and it enables aircraft owners 

to offset some of their operational costs. 


SPONSORED CONTENT 

SINO JET’S CHINA 

CHARTER INCREASE 

Speaking from her Hong Kong office, Sino Jet Group’s president Jenny Lau sounds a lot more upbeat about the 

prospects for private jet charter in China than many others would have you believe. 

You could argue that she has to be positive, after all, not only is she the head of Asia-Pacific’s biggest private 

jet operator, but she is also the chair of AsBAA – the Asian Business Aviation Association. But Lau backs up 

her comments with data, all of which paints a much rosier picture than many would have you believe. 

it offers. Not only could travellers be comforted by the fact that they 

would only be flying with people they know, but because they were 

able to use FBOs rather than airline terminals, they could reduce 

their possible points of contact with other people. According to 

one Austria-based private jet operator, by flying privately you could 

reduce your potential COVID-19 touchpoints down from 700 if flying 

on a commercial airline, to just 20 if flying on a private jet. 

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic it was a different story. 

Scheduled airline flights were cut, and people’s movements were 

restricted all around the world as everybody stayed home trying to 

stay safe. Although the early days of the pandemic did see some 

charter flights taking place, these were largely repatriation flights - 

moving people from where they were stranded back to their homes. 

As the pandemic began to subside, more people began to see the 

benefits of flying privately, partly due to a lack of scheduled airline 

flights, but also in part due to the increased safety and security that 

Although mainland China was amongst the last countries to open 

itself back up to outside visitors, it had one advantage that other 

countries didn’t always have, which was the size of the country itself. 

What this meant in practical terms was that the domestic market 

could thrive even though very few international flights could take 

place. This is especially true given that pre-pandemic, Beijing to 

Shanghai and vice versa was already one of the busiest private jet 

routes in Asia-Pacific. 

So, with the domestic market thriving, China’s private jet charter 

companies flourished. But there was always one big question, one 

nagging doubt at the back of everybody’s minds; What would happen 

when scheduled airline services returned to pre-pandemic levels? 


SPONSORED CONTENT 

According to Lau, that nagging doubt was unfounded, as not only 

have the steady stream of users that were first attracted to business 

aviation stuck around, but the numbers have swelled since China 

opened its borders again in early 2023. 

But whilst Lau paints a rosy picture of the Chinese charter market, 

she also points out that the increase in charter users has brought 

with it an unforeseen problem, saying that there aren’t enough 

aircraft to satisfy the country’s demand for charter flights. 

“You’ve seen the travel patterns since January this year [when 

China opened its borders], it’s been crazy, people have been going 

everywhere,” says Lau. “But there aren’t enough aircraft.” 

Lau is partly referring to the number of aircraft that have left the 

Greater China business jet fleet over the past year, which, according 

to Asian Sky Group’s 2022 Business Jet Fleet Report, declined by as 

much as 15% in 2022. 

“Travel throughout Asia-Pacific has been strong, and travel to 

Europe and the US has been stronger than before. Japan is a very 

popular destination, and inside China. It’s just that we don’t have 

enough aircraft.” 

We have a self-owned Falcon 7X 

that we have leased to another 

company, and the operator just 

told me that last month the aircraft 

flew 100 hours. That’s how strong 

the demand is.” 

Lau also says that she’s noticed a shift towards charter from those 

owners that previously had their own aircraft but decided to dispose 

of them. These days she says that there is more of a trend towards 

charter, or even long-term leasing, but that there just aren’t enough 

aircraft available to satisfy the demand for charter. 

“You have to look at the overall economic cycle of Europe, the US and 

China. Because with interest rates rising for the past year or so in the 

US, everyone is waiting for the point where there is a sharp drop in 

the economic cycle,” says Lau. “Once that happens there will probably 

be more aircraft available on the market at a very discounted value. I 

think the more mature clients are waiting for that moment.” 

Another part of the reason that people are moving towards charter, 

especially in China, is the current long lead times that it takes 

between ordering a new aircraft and actually taking delivery of it, 

with Lau saying that for new aircraft types especially the lead times 

could be as long as two to three years. 

“People are kind of in a wait and see period at the moment. But 

some of them that are having very intensive travel demands will 

buy regardless.” 

With more people chartering, and Sino Jet possibly in the market 

for new aircraft, the company has begun to explore more ways of 

introducing what it likes to call ‘end -to-end’ travel. The company 

already owns a number of FBOs across China, with the most recent 

one opening up in Chengdu, but Sino Jet is already looking towards 

the future, and how it can integrate the next generation of eVTOL 

(Electric Takeoff and Landing) vehicles into its offerings. 

As such, the company has a set up a division that has acquired 100 

eVTOLs from Chinese manufacturer Aerofugia. The AE200 model 

that the company has acquired is planned to accommodate up to 

four passengers and can travel up to 300km. 

Although Sino Jet’s eVTOL division is still working out the finer 

details of what it plans to do with the eVTOLs once they arrive, it is 

likely that the company will base the aircraft at its FBO locations and 

fly them to and from the nearest locations that it can, to pick up and 

drop off its clients that have flown into, or will fly out of, its FBOs. 

This will help the company ingrain itself deeper into the travel plans 

of its clients, and, help it offer a more complete end-to-end travel 

solutions that its competitors can’t, initially at least, compete with. 

“That puts us in a situation where we might have to, perhaps, raise 

money to buy more aircraft to service our clients,” says Lau. “Or we 

could just bring in some outside resources and work with some industry 

peers to get the fleet adequately supplied for this part of the world.” 

Overall, Lau says that she can only see charter demand increasing in 

the region, whilst on the flip side she sees the number of new aircraft 

acquisitions falling, especially by those that previously brought 

aircraft for their own, or their own company’s usage. 


CHARTER SURVEY 

RESULTS 

FLEXIBILITY: TO OWN OR CHARTER A JET 

Charter (18%) 

Own (25%) 

Both own and charter (57%) 

Results from the Asia-Pacific Business Aviation Survey that Asian 

Sky Group conducts as part of its Quarterly Report, show that 57% of 

respondents over the past two years have stated that they prefer to 

charter as well as own their own aircraft. This majority is more than 

double the 25% of people that preferred to just own a jet and not 

have to turn to the charter market, and just over triple the 18% that 

preferred the flexibility of charter over ownership. 

UPCOMING CHARTER INTENTIONS 

IN THE NEXT QUARTER 

PREFERENCES ON CHARTER BOOKING 

No (16%) 

Directly with an operator (72%) 

Through a broker (28%) 

Not sure / Considering (31%) 

Yes (53%) 

Just over half, 53%, of all respondents said that they intended to 

charter an aircraft in the next quarter. Significantly, 72% of people 

said that they go directly to an aircraft operator when chartering a 

flight rather than going through a charter broker. This is in part due 

to a large number of respondents that already own aircraft and thus 

prefer to charter from a company they know. The remainder, just 28%, 

said that they book charter flights through brokers. 


CHARTER SURVEY 

FACTORS CRITICAL TO CHARTERING AN AIRCRAFT 

Value for Price Paid 

Flexibility / Punctuality 

Privacy 

Cabin Sanitation 

Customer Service 

Maintenance Support 

Carbon Emissions 

Ranking 

Q3 2021 Q4 2021 

Q1 2022 

Q2 2022 

Q3 2022 

Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 

As well as asking respondents for their charter preferences, the Asian 

Sky Group Quarterly Survey also asks people what they think the 

most important factors are when it comes to chartering an aircraft. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly ‘Value for Money’ is often cited as the most 

important factor in deciding to charter. Whilst it might seem given 

that this would likely top the rankings anywhere around the world, it 

is more of an issue in the Asia-Pacific region, where pricing is higher 

due to higher landing, en-route and FBO charges. 

Customer service and punctuality typically occupy the second and 

third places, signifying the primary goals and challenges of the 

business aviation industry at present. Interestingly, since the onset 

of the COVID-19 pandemic, cabin sanitation consistently rated highly, 

but as pandemic-related restrictions have eased, its importance has 

gradually declined. 




MID 2022-MID 2023 

Data courtesy of WingX 

New Delhi 

Ahmedabad 

4 

Hong Kong 

5 

Mumbai 

Popularity Most to Least 

9 

Bangkok 

8 

TOP DESTINATIONS 

OUTSIDE ASIA-PACIFIC 

Country 

City 

Dubai 

Honolulu 

London 

Anchorage (Transiting) 

Phuket 

Subang 

3 

Singapore 

1 

Jakarta 

7 

Bali/Denpasar 

Abu Dhabi 

Los Angeles 

Broome 

TOP 10 POPULAR CHARTER AIRPORTS IN ASIA-PACIFIC 

Country/Region City Airport Name IATA Code 

Singapore Singapore Seletar XSP 

India New Delhi Indira Gandhi International DEL 

India Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International BOM 

Thailand Bangkok Don Mueang International DMK 

Australia Melbourne Essendon MEB 

Australia Sydney Kingsford Smith International SYD 

Australia Sydney Bankstown BWU 

Malaysia 

Subang (Kuala 

Lumpur) 

Doha 

San Francisco 

Almaty 

Riyadh 

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International 

Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong International HKG 

Indonesia Jakarta Halim Perdanakusuma International HLP 

SZB 

INCREASING POPULARITY 

6 

Perth 

Melbourne 

Gold Coast 

10 

Sydney 

2 



TOP 10 POPULAR CHARTER ROUTES 

A indicative ranking based on WingX flight data. 

TOP 10 ROUTES AVERAGE ROUTE DISTANCE(NM) AVERAGE FLIGHT TIME 

1 

Jakarta - Singapore 483 1.45 

2 

Sydney - Melbourne 381 1.15 

3 

Subang - Singapore 173 0.81 

4 

Mumbai - New Delhi 614 1.75 

5 

Ahmedabad - Mumbai 240 0.97 

6 

Perth - Broome 917 2.22 

7 

Denpasar - Jakarta 514 1.52 

8 

Singapore - Hong Kong 1385 3.42 

9 

Bangkok - Phuket 374 1.19 

10 

Gold Coast - Sydney 368 1.25 

The Asia-Pacific region has become a thriving hub for business 

aviation, with a dynamic mix of established and emerging markets 

contributing to an increasingly complex ecosystem of charter flight 

routes. This section looks closely at monthly flight activity over the 

past two years, flight routes, popular destinations outside APAC, and 

the most popular airports. 

Given the difficulties in separating flights operated by pure charter 

operators from those managed by aircraft management companies, 

the data presented in this section encompasses all business jet flights 

within the Asia-Pacific region. It is assumed that the identified routes 

and airports align closely with the most frequented ones utilized for 

charter operations. 

However, obtaining a clear picture of this landscape is not without its 

challenges. While it is relatively straightforward to analyze the flights 

of pure charter operators, it becomes challenging to separate flights 

operated by management companies, given that aircraft owners often 

authorize these companies to operate charters using their aircraft. 

This complexity can muddy the true patterns and trends of business 

jet charter flights. 

The top destinations outside Asia-Pacific are mainly concentrated 

in the Middle East and the United States. Among them, the business 

jet route to Dubai in the Middle East leads by a significant margin, 

accounting for 25% of the business jet route traffic from Asia-Pacific 

to destinations outside the region. The route between Male and Dubai 

accounts for a major source of traffic, which has resulted in Dubai 

becoming the most popular business jet destination from Asia-Pacific. 



Overall, the top ten business jet routes in Asia-Pacific are 

predominantly concentrated in Southeast Asia, with Seletar 

Airport in Singapore being the most popular destination. Other 

popular routes include domestic routes within India and Australia. 

Only the Singapore to Hong Kong route ranks as the eighth most 

popular business jet route connecting Greater China. 

Singapore’s increased commercial activities have directly driven 

the growing demand for business jet travel after pandemic. 

Among the top ten popular business jet routes in Asia-Pacific, 

three involve Singapore. In terms of the number of business jet 

departures and arrivals, Singapore’s Seletar Airport has become 

the most popular business jet airport in Asia-Pacific in 2023. 

FLIGHT ACTIVITY BY MONTH 

2021 Jul - 2022 Jun 2022 Jul - 2023 Jun 

YoY Change 

9,000 

7,500 

6,000 

4,500 

3,000 

1,500 

0 

Jul Aug 

Sep 

Oct 

Nov 

Dec 

Jan Feb 

Mar 

Apr 

May 

Jun 

INTERNATIONAL VS. DOMESTIC FLIGHTS 

Domestic 

International 

CURRENT YEAR DEPARTURE 

84% 16% 

PREVIOUS YEAR DEPARTURE 

74% 

26% 

Business jet flight activity in Asia-Pacific from July 2022 to June 

2023 exceeded the levels of the same period in the previous 

year, even seeing year-on-year growth of 51.6% in January 2023. 

Holidays in December to March saw higher average business 

jet flights compared to other months of the year. Over the past 

year of pandemic, the market has gradually recovered, and 

even surpassed the same levels of 2019. As business activities 

and international travel gradually increase, the proportion of 

international flights of business jet has also increased, with 10% 

growth compared to the previous year. 



FLIGHT ACTIVITY BY DURATION 

More than 5h (4%) 

4 to 5 hours (3%) 

3 to 4 hours (7%) 

2 to 3 hours (13%) 

Max 30 min (10%) 

30 min to 1 h (26%) 

1 to 2 hours (37%) 

In terms of flight duration, routes lasting 1 to 2 hours are the most 

popular, accounting for 37% of all flights. Flights within two hours 

even exceed half of the total, accounting for 63%. Among the 

most popular business jet routes, the top five routes all have flight 

times that are less than two hours. Short distance commuting of 

business jets is the preferred choice for some charter passengers 

or business travelers, with the convenience and efficiency. 

FLIGHT ACTIVITY BY SIZE CATEGORY 

Light (12%) 

Medium (14%) 

Very Light (22%) 

Corp. Airliner (2%) 

Long Range (27%) 

Large (23%) 

The most popular business jet aircraft categories in Asia- 

Pacific are primarily Long-Range business jets, followed by 

Large and Very Light business jets. Among the Long-Range 

category, the Bombardier Global Express/6000/6500 series and 

the Gulfstream G600/650 series are the representatives, with 

their average flight times in Asia-Pacific being higher than other 

series of aircraft. 

TOP AIRCRAFT MODEL IN ASIA-PACIFIC 

FLIGHTS 

AIRCRAFT 

MODEL 

GLOBAL EXPRESS/6000/6500 

HOURS 

CITATION MUSTANG 

G600/650 

CHALLENGER 600/601/604/605/650 

FALCON 2000 

GV/500/550 

LEGACY 600 / 650 

HAWKER 700/750/800/850/900 

G300/350/400/450 

7,500 6,000 4,500 3,000 1,500 

0 

0 5,000 

10,000 

15,000 


OEM OVERVIEW 

Bombardier and Textron are the OEMs with the biggest market 

CHARTER FLEET BY OEM 

share in the Asia-Pacific charter market, with each having a 29% 

share of the total charter fleet in the region. Textron-manufactured 

Airbus (2%) 

Others (1%) 

charter aircraft lead in Australia, with a total of 29 aircraft. The 

Boeing (1%) 

Citation Mustang is the most popular model with seven in service, 

Embraer (10%) 

which gained popularity in the charter market due to its versatility, 

efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Bombardier aircraft are 

most prevalent in India, with 19 aircraft. Gulfstream holds a 17% 

market share, with mainland China having the highest number of 

Dassault (9%) 

Gulfstream (17%) 

296 

Textron (29%) 

Bombardier (29%) 

Gulfstream charter aircraft at 18, which is mainly made up of G550 

models with nine. 

FLEET BY OEM AND BASE COUNTRY/REGION 

65 

62 

41 

22 20 17 15 

11 

9 8 6 6 5 4 3 2 

INDIA 

AUSTRALIA 


JAPAN 

SINGAPORE 

INDONESIA 

PHILIPPINES 

NEW ZEALAND 

HONG KONG SAR 

THAILAND 

TAIWAN 

VIETNAM 

MALAYSIA 

PAKISTAN 

SOUTH KOREA 

OTHERS 

TOTAL 

Textron 19 29 2 9 3 5 4 6 2 4 2 2 87 

Bombardier 19 17 11 7 8 1 6 3 5 3 4 2 1 87 

Gulfstream 4 2 18 4 7 3 3 2 2 1 3 1 1 51 

Embraer 10 8 3 1 7 1 1 31 

Dassault 12 5 5 1 1 1 2 27 

Airbus 1 1 1 2 5 

Boeing 1 1 1 1 4 

Nextant 1 1 2 

Pilatus 1 1 

Dornier 1 1 

TOTAL 65 62 41 22 20 17 15 11 9 8 6 6 5 4 3 2 296 


OEM OVERVIEW 

FLEET BY OEM AND SIZE CATEGORY 


AIRBUS 

BOEING 

100% 

100% 

BOMBARDIER 

5% 47% 

20% 

7% 22% 

DASSAULT 

33% 

63% 

4% 

DORNIER 

EMBRAER 

GULFSTREAM 

NEXTANT 

PILATUS 

13% 

100% 

52% 23% 

13% 

61% 25% 

6% 8% 

100% 

100% 

TEXTRON 

34% 

45% 

21% 

Long Range aircraft dominate the Asia-Pacific charter fleet, making 

up 27% of the total number of aircraft available for charter in the 

region. Among Bombardier and Gulfstream types, Long Range jets 

account for up 47% and 61% of their charter fleets, respectively. The 

G650ER is the most popular Long Range model for Gulfstream, with 

13 aircraft, while the Global 6000 leads among Bombardier’s Long 

Range aircraft with 11 in service. 

Dassault and Embraer’s charter fleets are dominated by Large jets, 

accounting for 63% and 52%, respectively. The baseline Falcon 2000 

is the most common model among Dassault’s Large jets, with seven 

aircraft, while the Embraer Legacy 600 is the most popular model in 

Embraer’s fleet, with 10 aircraft. 

Textron’s charter fleet leans heavily towards Light Jets, which make 

up 45% of the manufacturers’ charter fleet in the region. The Citation 

550 Bravo, which is well-regarded for its performance and versatility, 

is the most popular model in the market, with eight aircraft available 

for charter. 


OEM OVERVIEW 

FLEET BY OEM AND AGE 

AVERAGE 

AGE 

0-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years >20 years 

AIRBUS 

13.2 

40% 40% 

20% 

BOEING 

15.3 

75% 

25% 

BOMBARDIER 

16.0 

13% 15% 24% 

21% 

28% 

DASSAULT 

15.6 

11% 11% 

30% 

19% 

30% 

EMBRAER 

12.6 

6% 

26% 45% 16% 

6% 

GULFSTREAM 

11.5 

22% 25% 27% 

14% 

12% 

TEXTRON 

18.6 

6% 8% 

18% 

36% 

32% 

In terms of the average aircraft age of charter aircraft in Asia- 

Pacific, Gulfstream and Embraer had the youngest fleets with an 

average age of 11.5 and 12.6 years respectively, while Textron and 

Bombardier had the oldest fleets with an average age of 18.6 and 

16.0 years, respectively. 

The difference in average ages across various OEMs can also be 

attributed to their size categories. Specifically, Light and Medium 

jets have a significantly higher average age, clocking in at 19.8 

and 18.1 years respectively, compared to Long Range jets, which 

average a mere 9.3 years. Typically, Light and Medium jets are 

often more cost-effective to operate and maintain, especially 

when compared to larger aircraft. Operators may not see a 

compelling reason to replace older models that are still in good 

operating condition, especially if they’re paid off and are relatively 

inexpensive to maintain. 

This dynamic is evident when examining the fleet composition 

of Textron and Gulfstream. The majority of Textron’s fleet, 

approximately 79%, consists of Light and Medium jets, which 

helps to explain its older fleet age. In contrast, Gulfstream’s fleet 

comprises primarily of Long Range jets, making up about 61% of its 

fleet, resulting in a lower average fleet age. 


ESTIMATED HOURLY CHARTER RATE VS. CABIN SIZE 

CHARTER AIRCRAFT MODEL POSITIONING 

ASIA-PACIFIC CHARTER AIRCRAFT MODEL POSITIONING 

18,500 

18,000 

17,500 

17,000 

16,500 

16,000 

15,500 

15,000 

14,500 

14,000 

CORP. AIRLINER 

LONG RANGE 

LARGE 

MEDIUM 

LIGHT 

VERY LIGHT 

ACJ319 

BBJ 

ACJ318 

LINEAGE 1000 

ESTIMATED AVERAGE HOURLY PRICE (USD/HR) 

13,500 

13,000 

12,500 

12,000 

11,500 

11,000 

10,500 

10,000 

9,500 

9,000 

8,500 

8,000 

7,500 

7,000 

6,500 

6,000 

G450 

LEGACY 650 

G650/ER 

GLOBAL 6000 

GLOBAL 5000 

FALCON 7X 

G550 

GLOBAL EXPRESS/XRS 

CHALLENGER 300/350 

G200 

G-IV/IV-SP 

LEGACY 600 

FALCON 900EX/LX CHALLENGER 850 


FALCON 2000EX/LX 

FALCON 2000 

5,500 

5,000 

4,500 

4,000 

3,500 

3,000 

2,500 

CIT. II/BRAVO 

CIT. CJ1 

PHENOM 100 

CIT. MUSTANG 

LEARJET 35A 

CIT. EXCEL/XLS/+ 

PHENOM 300 

2,000 

100 

200 

300 

400 

500 

700 

1,000 

1,500 

2,000 

2,500 

3,000 

3,500 

4,000 

4,500 

5,000 

5,500 

6,000 

CIT. III/VI/VII 

CITATION ULTRA/V 

CIT. CJ2/CJ2+ 

CIT. SOVEREIGN 

HAWKER 850XP 

HAWKER 900XP 

HAWKER 800/XP/XPI 

LEARJET 60/XR 

CABIN SIZE (FT 3 ) 

NOTE: 

1. The estimated hourly rate is based on an aircraft with a generic configuration and status. It considers the operating cost, acquisition cost and real-world market quotes, whilst excludes 

airport charges, handling fee, tax or other service fees. The hourly rate is for reference use only, and the actual rate may disperse, impacted by the movement of market supply and demand. 

2. Cabin size data source: Conklin & de Decker. 


CHARTER AIRCRAFT MODEL POSITIONING 

ASIA-PACIFIC CHARTER AIRCRAFT MODEL POSITIONING 

ESTIMATED HOURLY CHARTER RATE VS. MAX RANGE 

18,500 

18,000 

17,500 

17,000 

16,500 


LONG RANGE 

LARGE 

MEDIUM 

LIGHT 

VERY LIGHT 

ACJ318 

ACJ319 

BBJ 

16,000 

15,500 

LINEAGE 1000 

15,000 

14,500 

14,000 

13,500 

G650/ER 

GLOBAL 6000 

13,000 

GLOBAL 5000 

12,500 

ESTIMATED AVERAGE HOURLY PRICE (USD/HR) 

12,000 

11,500 

11,000 

10,500 

10,000 

9,500 

9,000 

8,500 

8,000 

7,500 

LEGACY 650 

LEGACY 600 

CHALLENGER 850 

FALCON 7X 

G550 

GLOBAL EXPRESS/XRS 

G450 

G-IV/IV-SP 


7,000 

FALCON 2000 


6,500 


6,000 

5,500 

5,000 

4,500 

4,000 

3,500 

3,000 

2,500 

2,000 

500 

CIT. III/VI/VII 

LEARJET 35A 

CIT. EXCEL/XLS/+ 

CITATION ULTRA/V 

CIT. II/BRAVO 

CIT. CJ2/CJ2+ 

PHENOM 100 

CIT. CJ1 

CIT. MUSTANG 

1,500 

PHENOM 300 

2,500 

3,500 


G200 

CIT. SOVEREIGN 

HAWKER 850XP 

HAWKER 900XP 

HAWKER 800/XP/XPI 

LEARJET 60/XR 

4,500 

5,500 

6,500 

7,500 

MAX RANGE (NM) 

NOTE: 

1. The estimated hourly rate is based on an aircraft with a generic configuration and status. It considers the operating cost, acquisition cost and real-world market quotes, whilst excludes 

airport charges, handling fee, tax or other service fees. The hourly rate is for reference use only, and the actual rate may disperse, impacted by the movement of market supply and demand. 

2. Max Range data source: Conklin & de Decker, this has adopted NBAA IFR rules and under Long Range Cruise Speed with maximum fuel on board, and four passengers with fuel reserve 

calculation for a 200 NM (365 Km) alternate. 




WeChat 

Android 

IOS 

APP 

Icon 

APP 

Name 

Company 

Type 

Target Client 

Region 

Platform 

Quataion 

Booking 

Functions 

Special 

Offer 

Flight 

Sharing 

Aviation X Broker Mainland China √ √ √ √ 

iFlyPlus Broker Mainland China √ √ 

King Leader 

(BAA) 

Operator Mainland China √ √ √ 

MY-JETs Broker Mainland China √ √ √ 

JetPortal Broker Global √ √ 

Touch1 Broker Mainland China √ √ √ 

VistaJet Operator Global √ √ √ 

Airdidi (TOJOY) Broker Mainland China √ √ √ √ 

GLOBAL WINGS Operator Mainland China √ √ √ √ 

Ctrip Broker Mainland China √ √ √ √ 

Flight Master 

Business Jet 

Platform Mainland China √ √ √ √ 

Luxaviation Operator Global √ √ 

Victor Private 

Jet Charter 

Broker Global √ √ √ √ 

XO - Book a 

private jet 

(Jetsmarter) 

Broker Global √ √ √ √ 

JetApp Broker Global √ √ √ √ 

TAPJETS Broker Global √ √ √ √ 



There were 16 active mobile apps offering private jet charter 

services in Asia-Pacific at the end of June 2023. These apps are 

specifically designed to simplify the process of obtaining quotes, 

making bookings, and managing private jet charters. 

Among the developers, there are 11 brokers, four operators, and 

one trading platform. The apps developed by operators primarily 

aim to streamline the booking and management of private jet 

charters and serve as comprehensive platforms that directly 

connect customers with jet charter operators. On the other hand, 

the apps developed by brokers serve as platforms that connect 

customers with multiple charter operators. 

Unlike operator-specific apps, broker apps offer a wider range of 

options, as they aggregate information and services from various 

operators. Flight Master Business Jet is the only information 

platform connecting charter users and brokers with operators. 

It gathers information from aviation authorities and charter 

operators to provides real-time information on airport dynamics, 

charter capacity and price estimations, although users will need 

to contact the company for a full quote. 

Most of the apps are available on both iOS and Android platforms, 

ensuring accessibility for a wide range of clients. Notably, some 

of the apps are also available as WeChat mini programs to serve 

clients in China, where WeChat is ubiquitous. Flight Master 

Business Jet is the only one exclusively offered as a WeChat mini 

program. Out of the 16 apps, 44% cater to a global user base, 

while the remaining 56% are specifically designed for Chinese 

users. 

Almost all of these apps provide flight estimations and charter 

booking services, with many also offering detailed aircraft model 

introductions, jet sharing and special deals for empty legs. 

Ctrip as an OTA (Online Travel Agency) goes a step further by 

incorporating additional features such as airport shuttle services, 

high-end travel customization, and hotel reservations. 

Despite the availability of charter flight apps, it is not possible to 

do a live charter booking – at least not at the moment. There are 

too many variables at play, including the location of the aircraft 

before the flight, airport charges, en-route charges, how many 

people are on board and the type of catering required. 

Therefore, after the user has specified basic requirements 

such as the desired route and aircraft model, the client service 

representatives typically engage in further interaction with the 

user to finalize the service details. 


APPENDIX 

APPENDIX 

SUBREGION BREAKDOWN 

NORTHEAST ASIA 

OCEANIA 

SOUTHEAST ASIA 

Japan 

South Korea 

Australia 

Kiribati 

New Caledonia 

New Zealand 

Papua New Guinea 

Indonesia 

Malaysia 

Philippines 

Singapore 

Thailand 

Vietnam 

GREATER CHINA 

SOUTH ASIA 

Mainland China 

India 

Hong Kong 

Pakistan 

Taiwan 

SIZE CATEGORIES 


LONG RANGE 

LARGE 

MEDIUM 

ACJ318 

ACJ319 

BBJ 

CRJ100/200 

ERJ135 

ERJ145 

Lineage 1000 

Falcon 7X 

Falcon 8X 

G550 

G600 

G650 

G650ER 

Global 5000 

Global 6000 

Global 6500 

Global 7500 

Global Express 

Global Express XRS 

GV/GV-SP 

Challenger 600/601 

Challenger 604 

Challenger 605 


Dornier 328JET 

Falcon 2000 

Falcon 2000 EX 

Falcon 900 

G IV/GIV-SP/G400 

G450 

Legacy 600 

Legacy 650 


Citation 560XL(Excel/XLS/ 

XLS+) 

Citation 680(Sovereign/+) 

Citation 750(X/X+) 

Falcon 50 

G200 

G280 

Hawker 800/XP 

Hawker 850XP 

Hawker 900XP 

Learjet 60 XR 

LIGHT 

VERY LIGHT 

Citation 500/501(I/ISP) 

Citation 525A(CJ2/CJ2+) 

Citation 525B(CJ3/CJ3+) 

Citation 525C(CJ4) 

Citation 550(II/IISP/SII/Bravo) 

Citation 560(Encore/+) 

Citation 560(V/Ultra) 

Citation 650(III/VI/VII) 

G100/G150 

Hawker 400 

Learjet 31 

Learjet 35/36 

Learjet 40 XR 

Learjet 45 XR 

Nextant 400XT/XTi 

Phenom 300 

Phenom 300E 

Pilatus PC-24 

Citation 510(Mustang) 

Citation 525(M2/CJ1/+) 

Phenom 100 

Premier I/IA 


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Charter Report 2023

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