The private jet market in the Middle East offers great long-term potential and is expected to grow by 20 per cent this year, said International Air Charter (IAC), one of the largest independent private jet charter brokers.

IAC, which leverages a global network of over 50,000 private aircrafts to address growing demand for charter jet services in the region, said it was consolidating its network in the Middle East region.

The company revealed that the Middle East market offered great long-term potential that will enable the company to achieve its targets in 2009, sustaining IAC's growth trajectory as it builds on an impressive 40 per cent growth in 2008.

The ME market is poised to expand between 15 to 20 per cent this year, driven strongly by the increasing use of chartered jets by the region's affluent in lieu of commercial airline services, said a senior IAC official.

With its access to some 50,000 aircraft from all over the world through its Computerised Aircraft Tracking System (CATS), which is updated automatically on a daily basis, IAC pointed out that it is able to deliver private jet services within a maximum of two hours and carry any customer to any destination in the world.

IAC has further reported that its client base among royal families, CEOs, and other members of the region's affluent has been steadily increasing as clients recognise the strategic benefits of charter jet services, particularly in terms of convenience and time savings.

Elie Abdo, managing partner IAC Middle East, said: 'IAC's charter jet services have been designed to enable our VIP customers to benefit from instant access to a reliable, fast, luxurious and hassle-free transport solution that can bring them to any destination around the world.'

'Moreover, there is a growing awareness about the practical value of using private aircraft charters as customers can certainly enjoy a range of premium value-added benefits,' he noted.

'By using our private jet services, customers don’t have to worry about queues and restrictions on hand luggage, will have minimal check-in procedures and can avail of swift and secure immigration clearance.'

'Moreover, they can have peace of mind in terms of safety and security, while they can even arrive up to 15 to 20 minutes prior to departure, allowing them to squeeze in some more precious extra time to attend to important business matters,' he pointed out.

According to Abdo, the Middle East has emerged as the new frontier for its growth initiatives as an increasing number of the region's elite and affluent were shifting to the IAC charter jet services as a convenient means of transport.

'We have particularly noted a significant increase in traffic between the Middle East and Europe and we intend to leverage our strong presence in key European destinations to deliver the most convenient and flexible services to our Middle East clients, who have certainly shown great satisfaction for the enhanced privileges and more personalised and customised services that they get compared with regular commercial airline offerings.'

'Moreover, with a whole range of aircraft readily available, availing of our charter services is like owning your own fleet,' he added.

IAC offers 24-hour service from virtually any point, which can be availed at extremely short notice.

The ISO 9002 certified company has been a leading figure in the aviation industry for nearly two decades, and has been a renowned specialist in the provision of VIP aircraft, executive jets, helicopter charter, corporate airliners and dedicated medical evacuation aircraft.-TradeArabia News Service