On any given day of air travel, the vast majority of the world’s passengers will be traveling in economy class. For a lucky with with the money or points to afford it, or the good fortune to be upgraded, more luxurious cabins such as premium economy, business class, and first class will be where they spend their time onboard the aircraft. For many enthusiasts, to do so would represent a bucket list journey.

However, for avgeeks (and, indeed, the general public) with their eye on an even more luxurious experience, a trip on a private jet may be on their bucket list. For the most part, this might be an unattainable goal, as the costs of taking such flights can sometimes be eye-wateringly high. However, a select handful of airlines do allow passengers to book private jet flights, making the dream easier to realize.

Emirates Executive

All over the world, UAE flag carrier Emirates
is known for the luxurious experiences offered onboard its Airbus A380s, Boeing 777s, and, as of relatively recently, its Airbus A350s. Going forward, the opulent airline also plans to add aircraft from the Boeing 777X and 787 ‘Dreamliner’ families to its portfolio of aircraft. However, did you know that Emirates also has a luxurious narrowbody in its fleet?

According to current fleet data made available by ch-aviation, the carrier has a sole Airbus
Corporate Jets ACJ319-100 in its fleet, which bears the registration A6-CJE. This luxurious twinjet is just over 13 years old, having initially been delivered to the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier back in September of 2011. Onboard, it features an exclusive seating configuration that consists of just 19 first class seats.

These are laid out at a maximum density of three abreast, and all of them have in-seat power supply and USB-A ports. The aircraft is all the more exclusive for the fact that it has flown relatively few hours and cycles since joining Emirates, having clocked up just 3,297 and 1,154 respectively as of the time of its last measurement, which took place on September 30th, 2024.

As pictured above, the aircraft’s flexible cabin interior can be configured for a variety of purposes, including leisure and socializing, dining, and business meetings. According to the Emirates Executive website, the aircraft can fly for up to eight hours at a time, with the “service tailored to you [to] make your flights the ultimate in exclusive travel.” For those who can afford them, flights can be requested online.

Qatar Executive

Not to be outdone by its Middle Eastern rival, Qatari flag carrier and oneworld member Qatar Airways
also has its very own operational division dedicated to the deployment of private jets. Known as Qatar Executive, this division also has the Airbus Corporate Jets ACJ319-100 at its disposal, with present fleet data from ch-aviation showing that it has two examples in its fleet with 22 seats onboard.

Qatar Executive A319 Interior
Photo: Qatar Executive

However, Qatar Executive’s fleet is larger and more diverse than just this pair of aircraft, with the company’s website also listing Gulfstream G700s, Gulfstream G650ERs, and Bombardier Global 5000s as being part of its operations. It recently made an addition to its fleet when it comes to the former of these aircraft types, with AeroTime reporting on January 6th that it had received two more G700s.

These arrivals mean that Qatar Executive now has six examples of the G700, and a further four deliveries are reportedly planned for the future in a move that would see its sub-fleet for the type grow to 10 aircraft. Gulfstream’s Mark Burns said that the “speed with which the team has been able to deliver this remarkable aircraft is a true testament to the quality and maturity of the G700 program.”

Qatar Executive G700 Interior

Photo: Qatar Executive

Qatar Executive prides itself in its ‘floating fleet,’ which allows aircraft to “reposition as needed, around the world, to meet customer demand, minimizing the flying required to move from one customer to the next.” It tailors its offering to both business and leisure customers, with its team on hand 24 hours a day to process bookings and online inquiries from the lucky few who can afford its services.

Why are such offerings not more widespread?

Emirates and Qatar Airways are both considered to be luxurious airlines that handle their fair share of high-value clients and passengers in their private cabins. As such, it is understandable that they have fostered sufficient demand on this front to establish their own private jet divisions in order to operate bespoke flights for the small (but higher than at other airlines) fraction of guests who can afford them.

Qatar Executive G650ER Interior

Photo: Qatar Executive

Generally, however, high-end luxury is becoming less of a factor in modern-day decision-making when it comes to the aviation industry. This has been reflected in the recent trend that has seen airlines move away from long-haul first class cabins, with some opting to replace them with ‘business class plus’ products. Such seats allow business class passengers to pay slightly more for a better experience.

This affords extra luxury and exclusivity for those who can afford it, without having to dedicate an entire cabin to first class when demand for business class remains high. Furthermore, the gulf in quality between first and business class has become somewhat smaller in recent years anyway, with more and more airlines offering direct aisle access, which used to be a first class feature, in business class.

Qatar Executive Global 5000 Interior

Photo: Qatar Executive

As such, with business cabins being better than ever before, and certainly closer to first class than was previously the case, demand for true first class products on long-haul flights has shrunk. With airlines more reliably able to fill their business class cabins, the trend looks set to stay, with first class being a limited domain found largely on established legacy carriers worldwide. Consequently, with little demand for first class, few airlines can take the gamble on operating private jets.

Delta Air Lines used to have a private jet division

That being said, in years gone by, a handful of other airlines have also operated private jet divisions alongside the likes of Emirates and Qatar Airways, before ceasing operations for a variety of reasons. Over in the US, Atlanta-based legacy carrier and SkyTeam founding member Delta Air Lines is one such example, having had a division known as Delta Private Jets. This existed from 2001 to 2020.

Emirates Executive Interior

Photo: Emirates Executive

The carrier’s history dated as far back as 1984, when it was founded as Comair Jet Express, but it took on the Delta name at the turn of the century. As explored in a recent retrospective article by Simple Flying, Delta Private Jets aimed to serve destinations that Delta Air Lines itself did not fly to, with SkyMiles Elite members even able to upgrade their flights to private jet experiences from certain hubs.

However, Delta Air Lines’ announcement that it would be making an acquisition of fellow charter operator Wheels Up in 2019 spelled the beginning of the end for its own private jet division. This ultimately resulted in the carrier being merged into Wheels Up in 2020, resulting in the creation of one of the largest private fleets in the US, just without the Delta branding. Wheels Up recently announced the closure of more than $300 million in financing to help modernize its fleet.

European alternatives

Over in Europe, several of the continent’s legacy flag carriers have also dipped their toes into the inviting water of private jet operations in years gone by. One such airline was Air France, which, as reported by Aviation Week at the time, launched a private jet service in July 2014 that would allow passengers in its ‘La Première’ first class passengers to make onward connections in stylish and luxurious conditions. According to Luxury Travel Advisor, these started at €2,400 per hour.

Emirates Executive Interior

Photo: Emirates Executive

However, after just over five years, the company with which Air France had partnered to offer these flights, Wijet, stopped accepting reservations in December 2019, as reported by ch-aviation. Across the border, German flag carrier and Star Alliance founding member Lufthansa offered private jet flights for 15 years until 2022 before, according to Forbes, ceasing them due to the market being too niche.

Interestingly, while British Airways was another example of a European legacy flag carrier that established a private jet partnership, this did not take place in its home country. Instead, as reported by FlightGlobal in 2010, the airline partnered with Citation Air to allow passengers to make onward journeys by private jet upon landing in the US. These were offered “on an instantaneous pay-per-trip basis,” and served Mexico, Canada, the US, and the Caribbean, with private car transfers.

Some airlines have private aircraft for other purposes

Alongside the carriers that have established private jet partnerships for the benefit of their passengers, other airlines operate private aircraft on a strictly governmental basis. As such, as tempting as it would be to fly on these planes, their use is limited to politicians, officials, and other dignitaries. As noted by Simple Flying in a piece in 2023, such carriers include Azerbaijan Airlines and EVA Air. Separately, Air Canada and Ryanair have VIP narrowbodies set aside for sports charters.

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