business aviation FINANCING
By Simon Davies Sales Director, Global Jet Capital
KNOW YOUR 5 Cs
Photographs: Global Jet Capital
The fact that flying private offers unmatched comfort compared to the commercial alternative goes without saying. But there is also greater convenience for you, your team members and above all—your clients. Expect greater privacy and fewer hassles: no airport crowds, no lost luggage, and fewer flight cancellations or delays. But before you put a business jet on your company radar, know your 5 Cs. WHY ARE MORE COMPANIES CHOOSING TO FLY PRIVATE aircraft during the ongoing pandemic? As you can imagine, the benefits are numerous. Think of them as the five “Cs”: • Convenience • Capacity • Comfort • COVID-19 responsiveness • Cost-efficiency Business aircraft deliver a measurable increase in your organisation’s overall capacity, allowing you to expand your reach to places you never thought possible and providing an opportunity for your organisation to get more done in less time, while exceeding client demands. The first 3 Cs are evergreen benefits of business aircraft, but another benefit to flying private has emerged during the ongoing pandemic: COVID-19 responsiveness. Businesses with access to their own aircraft can stay agile and avoid potentially
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unhygienic or restrictive commercial flights. Minimising the COVID threat during travel and side-stepping the hassles and potential risks associated with pandemic-era commercial aviation are significant advantages. Of course, the fifth C – cost-efficiency – is perhaps the most challenging for C-level managers to realise. It isn’t a term one associates with operating a business aircraft. One financing tool, however, has the potential to change that: the operating lease. Operating leases are becoming more popular because they mitigate a range of issues associated with obtaining a business jet. In an operating lease financing structure, you can enter into a sale and leaseback arrangement for your pre-owned jet, identify a jet to purchase, or assign your purchase contracts to your new, on-order jet. In each of these scenarios, you do not take ownership of the aircraft, but have full use of it as if you do. This means you retain your crew, your pilot and your flight path—all
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