Private Jet Travel in Asia

As legend has it, human flight in Asia dates back more than one millennium. In 559 AD, as the story goes, several prisoners in what is now China were forced to jump off a tower attached to a kite; only one survived (to be executed later). Late in the 14th century, Chinese official Wan Hu supposedly flew for a short time in a chair powered by 47 rockets, his flight ending in a fatal explosion. Between 1630 to 1633, Ottoman inventor Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi and his brother, Lagâri Hasan Çelebi, are reputed to have flown via (respectively) glider and crewed rocket.

Photo Credit: Grant Faint, The Image Bank / Getty Images.

However, as Wikipedia dryly notes, “none of these historical accounts are adequately supported by corroborating evidence nor have any been widely accepted” (though NASA did name a crater on the moon “Wan-Hoo” after Wan Hu). If you want an actual documented flight in Asia, you need to start in Chennai, India in March 1910, when hotelier Giacomo D'Angelis flew a biplane he designed and built to begin air travel for the continent.

More than a century later, those seeking the convenience and speed of private air travel – through jets this time – follow in Giacomo’s path in the “Far East.” Obviously, time has brought with it many changes in how one gets from point A to B. If you’re thinking of chartering a flight in Asia, or just want to know more about how private jet travel in the region compares to that in others, read on.

Showing Growth

Private jet travel in Asia currently makes up a relatively small component of the global industry. As per aviation data provider WingX, about 2% of global business jet and turboprop flights took place in Asia in 2023, compared with about 15% in Europe and more than three-quarters in the U.S. In its weekly bulletins, WingX provides a section for the U.S., a section for Europe and a section for “Rest of World.” Asia is wrapped into ROW along with Africa, Australia/New Zealand and South America.

However, that level of activity still involves a lot of flights – more than 100K in 2023, an increase of more than 50% from pre-pandemic 2019. Business aviation is large enough in the region to drive the launch of a new international exhibition focusing on the industry in Asia-Pacific -- the Business Aviation Asia Forum and Expo (BAAFEx), scheduled for March 2025 in Singapore.

Singapore at sunset. Photo Credit: TomasSereda, iStock / Getty Images Plus.

“We are thrilled to launch BAAFEx, an event that will not only showcase the latest advancements in business aviation and general aviation, but also provide a platform for industry leaders to collaborate and drive the future of general aviation and business aviation,” Leck Chet Lam, managing director of organizer Experia Events, told the Asian Sky Group.

No One-Size-Fits-All

That having been said, regional experts caution that private jet travel in Asia should be viewed as a collection of individual markets, rather than a singular entity such as the EU or the U.S. “Asia ranges from Turkey across to Japan, Korea and the end of Russia,” says Paul Travis, client services manager for Alto Aerospace Ltd. “Given the huge size and the variety in culture and political stability, one size does not fit all the way that it does in the U.S.”

In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversees all things airborne (excluding military aircraft). For the EU, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) handles all civil aviation (a few hiccups post-Brexit notwithstanding). Each provides consistency across their respective regions (in addition to cooperating with each other to ensure alignment).

There is nothing like this for Asia given that the region does not have the political unions present in U.S. and Europe. “Air traffic control is administered by a number of centers. It’s a bit like Europe used to be 25 years ago,” Travis muses.

Cultural factors may lead to surprising results. For example, Japan boasts the second-largest GDP in Asia (more than $4 trillion per year) and is extensively connected to the U.S. and Europe in terms of business dealings. It would seem to be a fertile ground indeed for private jet travel – however, the reality is quite different. While Japan ranks among the top 50 countries for number of business jets registered – it comes in 31st, behind Nigeria and tied with Sweden – cultural factors tend to discourage use of private jets in situations that would typically call for them in North America and the EU.

Tokyo International Airport. Photo Credit: Saha Entertainment, Stone / Getty Images.

“You would think with an economy the size and sophistication of the Japanese, it would be straightforward thing to charter an executive jet in Japan. It’s not,” Travis shares. “The Japanese seem to be quite happy climbing onto a 747 with 500 other people. Airport access is another real hurdle – landing slots are restricted.”

Travis points out, though, that is not unusual for Japanese businesspeople to fly commercial from Japan to, say, Europe, and then charter a business jet to reach their endpoints in that region. Business types in South Korea – the fifth-largest economy in Asia – show similar preferences.

China Plane

Of course, one cannot discuss aviation in Asia without considering China. The largest economy in the region at more than $18 trillion of GDP, China has the seventh largest number of business jets registered in the world when Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are included. The private jet industry in China has soared in the last two decades.

“Before 2008, very few billionaires in China knew anything about private jets,” says Gary Fu, global sales director for AVI-GO, a charter platform connecting operators and brokers worldwide. “When they saw people flying in for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, they started asking, what are those little birds that fly in and out? This is how I can travel?”

The growth of the real estate industry in China after 2008 produced more people who were able to afford to buy – or at least charter – a private jet. Fu says that charter customers in China, unlike many in North America and Europe, usually prioritize aircraft size over cost or convenience when seeking to fly private.

“Here in China, most of the clients who use private jets see this as some kind of luxury way to travel, instead of a time-saver,” Fu says. “If you look at the U.S. market, the little birds like the [Cessna] Citation are popular. In China, clients prefer to travel with a Gulfstream 450 or 550, something like that.”

Qianmen Zhengyang Tower and Guomao CBD skyline in Beijing, China. Photo Credit: Govan Zhang, iStock / Getty Images Plus.

In the U.S., owners of private jets receive tax benefits from leasing their planes out for use by others (including charter customers). As a result, leasing is common for many individual business jet owners. In China, Fu says, owners are much less likely to let others use their jets, meaning that charter operators need to find other ways (such as purchasing aircraft themselves) to provide options for clients.

Private jet travelers in China also have fewer options than those in other regions in terms of which airports to use. The country has a total of fewer than 300 airports serving both international and domestic destinations, for a population of more than 1 billion people. In contrast, the U.S. offers roughly 5,000 airports (about 500 commercial and 4,500 business) for a population of 340 million.

However, one aspect of private jet travel is arguably more robust in China than in regions outside of Asia – personal service. “With U.S. charter, they say catering is not included. In China, we expect catering,” Fu says. “In China, I need flight attendants and hot meals. They want snacks from Japan, ham from Spain and good wines from all over.”

Fu anticipates further growth in the industry in China. “Private jet travel activity was quite high in China before COVID-19,” he says. “I believe the market is very promising in China. There are so many high-net-worth individuals in the country – it just takes time for the market to grow again.”

Elsewhere in the Orient

Of course, there are many other countries in Asia besides Japan and China. India, with the third-largest GDP in the region at almost $4 trillion, has a growing market for private jet travel. “The Indian economy in general is very vibrant and active, despite its high level of poverty,” Travis mentions. “There is a lot more liquidity in India than there used to be – you see it in travel to cricket matches. Infrastructure is trying to keep up with demand.”

Turkey also offers various private jet travel options, coming in 20th on the list of top 50 countries for number of private jets registered with 110. “Operators and ground handling are reasonably good, and there’s quite a well-developed network around Istanbul,” Travis says.

Other private jet travel markets in Asia to keep an eye on include those in Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. “Vietnam has an upward trend in terms of economic and political development – it’s not turning out to be the Stalinist regime that Presidents Kennedy and Johnson would have envisaged,” Travis says. “We also get a number of requests for flights to Saudi Arabia – the country is opening up as a tourist destination, and they’re quite big into music festivals.”

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo Credit: HRIS, iStock / Getty Images.

Of course, security is always a factor when analyzing any aspect of aviation – and Asia is no different. Private jet travel into Russia (both the Asian and European segments) has dropped dramatically since it invaded Ukraine in 2022 and started imprisoning visitors. Iran and Iraq’s instability is not an ideal setting for private jet travel. While Travis says that Jordan has a “fairly sophisticated” private jet travel market, the safety concerns around Israel and Gaza since the October 2023 attack continue to be a factor for their neighbors.

Looking Ahead

While making any one prediction about Asia is difficult given the scope and diversity of the continent, continuing economic growth is generally expected. With more than one-fourth of the world’s population residing in just two countries – India and China – and the focus on technological development the region, Asia is likely to continue moving forward – and, presumably, experiencing an expansion in its private jet travel markets as it does.

For now, though, the best charter partners in the region are those who can juggle multiple factors to provide solutions specifically tailored to clients. “You have to take each case on its own merits to see just how accessible and reliable the supply of aircraft is,” Travis concludes. “The amount of time and effort involved in making private jet travel successful is usually a lot greater than it would be in North America and Europe. Local advice and expertise on the way of getting things done is invaluable.”