Hong Kong’s private jet service takes off after axing of hotel quarantine and mega events

Industry leaders who catch Covid-19 while in city can be flown out, she explains, with trips to London and New York costing at least US$230,000 and US$350,000.

Interest in chartering private planes to Hong Kong has increased in the run-up to its financial leaders summit this week, according to an operator, who says extra staff are ready to fly out any visiting bankers who test positive for Covid-19, but prices can top US$350,000.

Jolie Howard, CEO of Hong Kong-based jet charter service L’VOYAGE, said the industry had also benefited from the government’s move to axe its mandatory hotel quarantine policy last month ahead of a number of big, high-profile events, including the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit.

Any high-powered bankers who contracted Covid-19 while in the city could be flown out, with trips to London and New York costing at least US$230,000 and US$350,000 respectively, Howard said. While no planes would be on standby, aircraft could be hired on a last-minute basis, she explained.

“We will dedicate a team to run 24/7 to cater to these needs,” she said. The option for Covid-positive overseas attendees to depart the city by private plane was part of current measures for those with special circumstances, such as attending the three-day summit, organised by the city’s Monetary Authority and which starts on Tuesday.

Howard said her company was also handling more inquiries from banking professionals ahead of the high-profile event, adding that general interest in booking private planes had increased since the government scrapped its hotel quarantine requirement on September 26 in favour of a three-day home surveillance period.

According to the company, a one-way flight from Hong Kong to New York using a heavy jet would cost US$350,000 or more, depending on the aircraft type and the number of passengers.

Similar flights to London would cost no less than US$230,000, it added. Meanwhile, Howard said some top company executives could opt to fly to neighbouring countries with less stringent restrictions if they contracted the virus.

A one-way flight from Hong Kong to Singapore would cost between US$53,000 and US$78,000, while flights to Bangkok were between US$45,000 and US$65,000, the company said.

The final cost would also depend on the size of the aircraft chartered, which ranged from mid-size to super mid-size, it added, with planes such as the 12-seater Cessna Citation Excel and 19-seater Bombardier Challenger 850 available for flights to neighbouring countries.

The Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre, which operates a support facility for the industry, said air traffic at its facility had doubled since the launch of the government’s “0+3” policy last month.

But the company, which operated 9,000 flights for 40,000 travellers in 2019, stopped short of providing any figures. It added that it believed more planes and passengers would return with the further easing of Hong Kong’s travel restrictions.

A check by the Post found that several private jets had flown into the city from destinations such as Edinburgh, Zurich, Tokyo and Seoul.

Among those recorded was a Gulfstream G650 plane owned by JP Morgan Chase, which arrived in the city from Tokyo on Saturday. Consisting of three living areas, the plane can carry up to 19 passengers.

A privately owned Bombardier Global 7500 was also logged, arriving from Edinburgh on the afternoon of the same day. According to its manufacturer, the aircraft can also seat up to 19 passengers and features amenities such as a 40-inch 4K TV home theatre surround sound set-up.

Separately, the Four Seasons Hotel, which will host a half-day conference on Wednesday as part of the summit, said its imperial and presidential suites were available for event participants via direct booking.

According to the hotel, a one-night stay at its imperial suite cost HK$98,000 (US$12,484), while the presidential suite was going for HK$108,000 per night.

Hong Kong is hosting FinTech Week until Friday, when the Hong Kong Sevens rugby competition kicks off. The popular tournament was last held in 2019 and has been delayed five times over the past two years because of the pandemic. scmp.com