Ibiza and Mallorca airports are in the top 10 terminals with the highest daily private activity, with 37 and 32 flights respectively.
From January to August, the airports of Palma, Mahon and Ibiza handled a number of private jets. AENA’s General Aviation data show that during the first eight months, 23,710 aircraft were recorded, compared to the 17,378 recorded in the same period in 2019.
European luxury residential tourism is the main reason for the rapid recovery of private aviation in the islands. After the pandemic there was a sharp spike in demand for private jet travel from owners of luxury homes and estates in the Balearics.
Businessmen, European executives and wealthy families with properties in the Balearics, according to sources in the airline industry, are the main customers for these very private services, although many of them own jets belonging to their companies and private individuals.
The main international agencies specialising in this niche market are already organising personalised tourist packages worth up to 15,000 euros for four days in Mallorca and Ibiza.
The 365 Foundation, aware of this potential, has set itself the strategy of turning Palma’s tourism promotion around to take advantage of this demand.
As part of this dynamic, Fundació 365 has already made contact with the main agencies specialising in tailor-made trips, including Anyway, Presstour, Pangea The Travel Store, Truly Spain, Viajes ATP and Carameltrail.
These agencies, which operate internationally, “programme tailor-made trips requested by clients and for whom money is no object,” say the foundation’s managers.
The specialised agencies book private jets, visits to painting workshops and galleries, yachts, top-of-the-range rental cars (VTC), private dinners with the top chefs on Mallorca and Ibiza and reservations for the top hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants.
According to the managing director of Fundación 365, Pedro Homar, “these types of tailor-made trips cost between 6,000 and 15,000 euros per person, depending on the package that is booked and the extra services that the clients require, such as closing galleries so that they can visit them on their own and closing any kind of transaction for the purchase of paintings”.
As far as marketing is concerned, experts say that price is not a problem.
Among the top 10 airports in Europe with the highest daily activity are two Spanish airports, Ibiza Airport with 37 take-offs on average per day and Palma with an average of 32 flights per day.
Five of the busiest airports for private flights are Spanish.
The EBAA report points out that five Spanish airports are among the 30 busiest for private flights so far this year. Mallorca terminal is in 11th place, with 7,728 flights up to June, followed by Madrid-Barajas airport in 12th place with 7,322 flights. In 18th place is Malaga Costa del Sol airport, from which 6,293 flights have departed, and in 19th place is the Barcelona terminal, from which 5,814 aircraft have taken off. In 22nd place in the ranking is Ibiza airport, which recorded 5,267 flights.