Some people pay more will what to get they need PRIVATE JETS TAKE OFF DURING COVID PANDEMIC
Rick Pegus
ONCE considered the exclusive accessory of the mega-rich and famous, private jets have been the growth industry of the pandemic with a 6 per cent increase in Australia’s bizjet fleet.
A total of 223 private jets are now owned by Australian individuals and businesses, with Jason Mikosic’s Multiquip Poultry the latest to join the “jetset”.
The figure would be bigger if it were not for supply issues, due to huge demand in North America.
Chief pilot of Navair Jet Services Rick Pegus said anyone ordering a jet now faced a wait of between 18 months and two years.
“It’s a hard time to buy an aeroplane because you can be
making offers just to get gazumped by someone in America who is happy to take the aeroplane sight unseen, no inspection and pay $100,000 more than what you’re offering,” he said.
“But the demand is there and some people will pay more to get what they need.”
For the second time in less than a year, Navair was in the process of delivering a new Embraer Phenom 100 in a mind-boggling 16-stage journey from Orlando, Florida.
The Civil Aviation Safety Register revealed the sixseater jet was owned by Mr Mikosic’s Multiquip Poultry and would be operated by Navair.
Like other recent jet buyers, including mining industry parts supplier Sean Dyson and Brisbane weapons dealer Robert Nioa, the Mikosices were considered typical of the “new jetset”.
“They have regional depots and they were just spending a lot of time on the road going from one to the next,” Mr Pegus said.
Starting from about $2.8m for a Phenom 100 to $73m for a Bombardier Global 7500, new private jets were not cheap but making them available for charter through companies like Navair helped cover costs.