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Exclusive Interview with Patrick Hansen, CEO of Luxury Private Jet Company – Luxaviation

 

Luxaviation is a top-tier private aviation company that boasts a fleet of more than 250 aircraft and a global workforce of over 1,300 employees. Its size of fleet, regions, and team members allow Luxaviation to suit any mission and provide a highly personalized service. Luxaviation promises detailed attention to your unique requirements, no matter where or when you need it. Whether it’s chartering a flight, using the company’s FBO services, accessing their maintenance expertise, or benefiting from their aircraft management solutions, you’ll enjoy the advantages of their superior infrastructure and culture of exceptional service.

We were lucky enough to spend some time with CEO, Patrick Hansen, and learn more about Luxaviation’s fascinating journey, its special services and offerings, and what makes the award-winning company so successful and reputable.

Luxury Lifestyle Awards: Congratulations on winning a Luxury Lifestyle Awards for Best Luxury Private Jet Services in Europe! What does this award mean for you and your team?

Patrick Hansen: To be named the Best Luxury Private Jet Services in Europe is a great achievement for us. The award reflects the dedication of our incredible team who work daily to deliver an unmatched quality of luxury service.

LLA: Luxaviation was established in 2008, but the roots of your business date back to 1964. How has the company evolved over the years to keep up with the changing needs and expectations of your clients?

PH:  Our industry is continually evolving. As our customers’ expectations change, it’s paramount that we stay up to date with current market activity to support business development. Our experienced and widespread team has a deep understanding of the market and can easily forecast upcoming trends – from luxury dining to charter demand. We’ve integrated our own in-house operating system and business intelligence platform to assess the current climate and inform business decision-making, further validating our leading position in the luxury travel market.

We also maintain a close relationship with our clients to ensure we cater to their personal needs. We often discuss industry trends with our jet owners and passengers, which helps us to gain insight into their personal perspectives and what they might wish to see more/less of. This is particularly important for Luxaviation as it means we are always maintaining a personalized touch throughout every aspect of our operation.

LLA: The values of Luxaviation can be traced back to the life and vision of Andre Ganshof van der Meersch, the pioneer of business aviation in Europe who founded Abelag Aviation, the forebearer of Luxaviation Group. How has his philosophy continued to guide Luxaviation‘s business strategy today?

PH: Andre Ganshof van der Meersch was responsible for the growth of business aviation in Europe. His philosophy focused on introducing new trends and innovation to an existing market, which during his lifetime involved delivering a standard of luxury that would draw the attention of the business elite, ensuring comfortable, efficient, and safe modes of travel. Today, luxury remains at the core of our business strategy. Our operation strives to provide the same level of service our founder pioneered.

Thanks to his philosophy, we integrate innovation wherever possible. We are actively analyzing solutions for urban transportation of passengers by electric aircraft through partnerships with companies like Lilium and Rolls-Royce. This includes the operational as well as the ground handling aspects of this exciting new area of our industry.

LLA: With so many luxury private jet service providers out there, what steps does Luxaviation take to ensure the safety and security of its clients?

PH: As a private jet operator, ensuring the safety and security of our clients is a top priority. Luxaviation is a member of all leading industry bodies and authorities. This means that we regularly receive updated industry information, such as new safety regulations, legalities, and training opportunities. 

LLA: Luxaviation has a global presence. Are there any plans to continue expanding in the near future?

PH: Based in Luxembourg, Luxaviation has expanded its worldwide operations to become globally recognized as one of the largest operators in the field. In Europe, we manage regional entities in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Spain, San Marino, and the United Kingdom.

We also operate a global network of 24 luxury passenger terminals the brand ExecuJet. Passengers traveling to Europe can experience one of our facilities in Brussels, Paris, Munich, and Berlin, as well as multiple locations in Spain. That said, we have a truly global presence that spans five continents including Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

We’re currently expanding in the Middle East with the completion of a new luxury passenger handling terminal in Dubai, that will set a new standard of luxury travel in the region. Beyond this, we are constantly looking to extend our global footprint by establishing new facilities, building new partnerships, and increasing the volume of managed aircraft across different regions. We have some exciting plans in the pipeline that will strengthen our presence in Europe and look forward to welcoming new clients to our terminals.

LLA: What does Luxaviation do to ensure that it is operating in an environmentally responsible manner?

PH: We are fully aware of the sustainability challenges we face and Luxaviation is committed to overcoming them, through proactively seeking ways to support the environment and unlock new growth opportunities. Our team works to avoid emissions by improving fuel efficiency through route optimization and harnessing more fuel-efficient aircraft.

We have also implemented multiple initiatives to further reduce the impact we have on the environment. Our company-wide carbon offsetting program compensates for carbon emissions that can’t otherwise be avoided and allow passengers to invest in high-quality nature-based projects that are providing renewable energy, conservation, and reforestation initiatives. In addition to this, we are actively reducing emissions through the utilization of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), while pursuing our journey to continuously improve the way we conduct our business.

LLA: Can you tell us about a particularly memorable or exciting trip that Luxaviation has facilitated for one of its clients?

PH: Understanding our clients’ needs and expectations is an essential part of private charter. We take this responsibility very seriously and it reflects the nature of our principles at Luxaviation, ensuring the highest standard of quality control while maintaining the most stringent confidentiality and privacy for our flyers.

In addition to this, our team is often asked to provide food and drink related to specific dietary requests or much-loved favorites. We’ve provided everything from a packet of blue-only Smarties ™ to dishes only made by one particular celebrity chef. No request is ever strange or too much for us at Luxaviation and we pride ourselves on fulfilling any requests made by our clients, however extraordinary they may be.

In fact, we pride ourselves on the superb quality of our inflight dining, even for our clients’ pets. Our experienced catering team prepares four-legged friendly menus which are specifically designed to keep pets healthy and hydrated during a flight. At the time of booking, our charter experts will also make our clients aware of all regulations and required documentation for their pets’ travel, personalized and tailored to the chosen flight and destination.

LLA: In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the luxury private jet industry today?

PH: Following the UN global compact principles and its sustainable development goals, the private charter industry is currently under the spotlight to reduce its carbon emissions. I think it’s crucial for business aviation operators globally to continue investing in greener initiatives while educating their clients and stakeholders about the work we are doing currently to align with the EU’s long-term sustainability goals. However, for this to be achieved the industry needs support from authorities and governments. 

LLA: And finally, can you tell us about any new developments or services that Luxaviation has in the works for the near future?

PH: A large focus for us will be to continuously improve the way we run our business and reduce our environmental impact. In order to achieve this, we will keep pursuing industry partnerships and investing in new innovations to help us achieve the goal of Net Zero by 2050.

Technology is also a big part of our future strategy and we are working to digitize our operation wherever possible. We are about to launch a new mobile app that will be the ultimate luxury travel companion for our guests, so they can book and manage their private jet flights with ease. The app is just one step in our commitment to sustainability and offers customers the option to offset flights and book empty-leg flights to reuse empty airplanes.

As well as this, we are investing in other forms of software and looking into ways to improve how we gain and manage data. Not only will this enhance our decision-making processes, but it will further enable significant cost and time savings for our team members.

 

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