The Future of Travel Interview with Aziz Ghorbani, General Manager of Delta World Charter

One of the myths of private flight is that luxury drives the decision to fly private. Right after that comes the notion that this service is only for the super-rich. Well, that is not entirely true. Time is the main reason people choose to fly private. Now more than ever, flying private have been the only means of travelling during the pandemic. Aziz Ghorbani, General Manager of Delta World Charter shares more with TRAVTALK.

Is Air Charter the future of travel?

Q Do share with us a brief of the company and the services offered.
Leading aircraft charter broker Delta World Charter provides tailored solutions for private jets, business flights, group charter, air cargo charter and commercial aircraft charter. Whether it is for entertaining private guests or business partners, planning exclusive travel or seeking critical delivery by cargo charter, Delta World Charter can provide professional on-demand air charter options.

The company offers bespoke solutions to fit clients’ requirements and preferences – be it a low-price solution, aircraft inflight entertainment, or the quickest alternative for an unplanned situation such as emergency evacuation or repatriation flights. Headquartered in Dubai, UAE, Delta World Charter’s breadth of coverage and global network of aircraft gives its clients access to over 60,000 aircraft. We have offices in Moscow, Russia; New York, USA; and Cape Town, South Africa.

Q Are your main audience leisure or business travellers or both?
We have a diversified client base ranging from business and leisure travellers as well as government entities. Some of our clients are UHNWI, government bodies, holidaymakers, global corporations, private Individuals.

Q Charter services have been most used over the past year during the pandemic. What were the initiatives you took to take advantage of the situation?
Pre-pandemic, charter flights were seen as a luxury rather than a necessity. This notion changed during the pandemic. They are no longer viewed as a luxury but an efficient, safe, and secure transportation tool that acts as a time machine to help achieve greater business success.

Q As a percentage how have charter services changed before and during pandemic?
Looking at past flight activities of business jets to and from the GCC (Jan-May 2019 and Jan-May 2020), the number of flights in the first five months of 2021 increased by 70% over 2020 and were over 35% higher than 2019. These numbers show that even though trips are limited to essential travel in 2020 and 2021, aviation business has shown significant growth in the number of flights taking off in the region.

Q What are the plans for this year?
UAE has done a good job containing the spread of the virus and has encouraged members of the public to join the COVID-19 vaccination programme. We believe our economy will soon recover. Also, since more people have realised the advantages of business jets, we expect that there will be a new group of users in the near future. Opportunities to expand are in the pipeline. Our expansion plan includes opening offices in Europe and Far East Asia.

Q Expo 2020 is around the corner, have you made any plans regarding collaborations?
With its theme, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 Dubai will illustrate that together we are creating brighter and smarter ideas for a better future for all. Expo 2020 is expected to transport visitors to new worlds through immersive pavilions where 180 participating countries will showcase the best each has to offer: their innovations, world-class architecture, captivating storytelling, live performances and much more.

Ultimately, business aviation is an exercise in simplicity. The fastest way to get from point A to point B. No complications. No delays. We are currently the GSA of Fly2Sky’s fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft that has a capacity of up to 180 passengers which would be one of our unique selling points for big groups for the upcoming exhibitions.

Q How do you work with travel agents and tour operators? What are the collaborations and incentive schemes for them?
We value our travel trade partners. We work on several commission schemes that are not limited nor fixed, ensuring a win-win situation between the parties involved. We protect your confidential information as well as the accounts through our non-disclosure agreement.

Learn more about charter flights here or email us on jet@dwc.aero