Soaring fuel bills threaten Spitfire leisure flights industry
SPITFIRE flights are at risk of being grounded as surging fuel prices threaten to deprive people of “once in a lifetime” experiences, enthusiasts have warned.
Taking to the skies for half an hour in a Second World War aircraft could soon become unaffordable to all but the extremely wealthy.
Matt Hall, of West Sussex-based Spitfires.com, fears his company’s twoseater aircraft may be left on the tarmac thanks to a “perfect storm” of high fuel prices together with the cost of living crisis. About a third of his customers are people whose loved ones have “scrimped and saved” to send them on a “once in a lifetime flight”, he said.
The company, based at Goodwood Aerodrome, runs seven flights a day, seven days a week using two planes but may be forced to cut back if demand drops.
The price of aviation fuel has doubled over the last 18 months, with costs escalating after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, operations director Mark Hillier said.
Oil prices have risen by a third since the start of 2022 to above $100 (£85) per barrel since the war erupted.
Jet fuel in Europe has jumped 106 per cent to $148 per barrel in the last 12 months, according to S&P. Spitfire.com has so far resisted raising prices despite soaring fuel costs.
Companies are selling 30-minute flights in war planes from just under £3,000 for half-an hour.
The cost of keeping a vintage Spitfire flying is also very high. Overhauling one of the aeroplanes’ Rolls-royce Merlin engines together with its propeller costs about £200,000 and must be done every 12-18 months for safety reasons, Mr Hall said.
Two-seater vintage aeroplane flights were legalised by the Civil Aviation Authority in 2014, following years of insistence that Second World War fighters were too dangerous for the general public to fly in.