英國私人飛機租賃代理商Volanteus的首席執(zhí)行官馬克·格林已從業(yè)25年。他的職業(yè)生涯經(jīng)歷過兩次重創(chuàng)——9/11和2008年金融危機,然而那些都不能和此次冠狀病毒危機相提并論。
近期,《財富》雜志對格林進行了采訪,內(nèi)容涉及冠狀病毒如何影響私人飛機租賃業(yè)務(wù),該如何努力全新定位,以及如何在心理和財務(wù)上面對目前的新情況。
財富:自危機爆發(fā)以來,你們的業(yè)務(wù)發(fā)生了什么變化?
格林:業(yè)態(tài)幾乎在一夜之間發(fā)生了變化。這很容易理解:過去租賃私人飛機的都是高凈值個人,而商業(yè)飛機租賃針對的是像球迷這樣人數(shù)更多的群體。而現(xiàn)在我們正在做的一切其實就是幫助遣返各個國家的公民。無論是飛回菲律賓的郵輪船員,還是從非洲或阿伯丁飛往倫敦的天然氣工人。
甚至還包括度假出游的旅客。我們服務(wù)過馬拉喀什高爾夫錦標賽的大約25名乘客。在馬拉喀什機場他們的所有航班都被取消了,于是我們將他們送回英國。如果所有定期航班均被取消,我們所做的一切就是在各種數(shù)不勝數(shù)的情況下把這些人運送回國。
所以,可以說私人包機這個小眾市場目前生意非常好嗎?
我們的包機行業(yè)從短期來看表現(xiàn)要好得多。因為那些定期航班削減了許多航線,有些航空公司甚至完全停飛。我們因此有機會使用這些公司的飛機。
比如說,英國航空公司可能已經(jīng)停飛了很多航班,但是英國的外交和聯(lián)邦事務(wù)部一直在使用這些飛機遣返人員。我們的包機行業(yè)現(xiàn)在就能夠充分利用這些多出來的運力。過去想要用上英國航空公司的飛機是很難的,可現(xiàn)在的機會要大得多。
中期前景如何?
短期來看,我們會非常忙。至于中期,我認為我們的工作節(jié)奏會放慢下來。醫(yī)療用品、藥品和人道主義援助的飛行需求仍然會有,但會減少。業(yè)務(wù)還會在,但我認為將會有相當大的放緩。以我個人的觀點,在情況好轉(zhuǎn)以前,這種減緩將會持續(xù)兩到三個月的時間。
我們是代理商,就是說我們會收取固定的傭金。我們發(fā)現(xiàn)有許多私人飛機公司知道將來的業(yè)務(wù)會放緩,就把現(xiàn)在的價格定得很高。因為他們意識到自己現(xiàn)在可以出售運力,但是可能兩到三周以后就不行了。
他們?nèi)匀恍枰Ц稒C組人員工資和飛機維護費用等等。政府不會救助他們。因此私人飛機的價格在過去幾周內(nèi)一直在上漲——但這就是正常狀態(tài)。機票價格在夏季上漲;到了冬天,價格下降,他們就會跑來找我們。
當前的價格上漲是否與平時典型的季節(jié)性上漲一致?
大概會略高一點。平均而言,冬季一般會減少10%,夏季會增長10%?,F(xiàn)在的情況,大概會比10%多一點。
你認為有錢人會因為定期航班的銳減而租用更多私人飛機嗎?
可能是那么回事。這場危機確實帶來了很多新業(yè)務(wù)。比如說,一家石油公司過去不會為二線或三線甚至是體力工人包租私人飛機的。而如今這些人無論如何要回家,所以他們包租了兩次航班。
租用私人飛機將六、七個人送回家,你可以把這稱為公司責任,或者員工責任。一個包機座位的費用可能是10000英鎊(約合人民幣87000元),但如果將員工留在那里要花多少錢呢?顯而易見,如果一家公司花費60000英鎊將六名工人從非洲帶回英國,它必須擁有一定的經(jīng)濟實力。但這同時也是公司品格、常識和善意的表現(xiàn)。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:晨曦
英國私人飛機租賃代理商Volanteus的首席執(zhí)行官馬克·格林已從業(yè)25年。他的職業(yè)生涯經(jīng)歷過兩次重創(chuàng)——9/11和2008年金融危機,然而那些都不能和此次冠狀病毒危機相提并論。
近期,《財富》雜志對格林進行了采訪,內(nèi)容涉及冠狀病毒如何影響私人飛機租賃業(yè)務(wù),該如何努力全新定位,以及如何在心理和財務(wù)上面對目前的新情況。
財富:自危機爆發(fā)以來,你們的業(yè)務(wù)發(fā)生了什么變化?
格林:業(yè)態(tài)幾乎在一夜之間發(fā)生了變化。這很容易理解:過去租賃私人飛機的都是高凈值個人,而商業(yè)飛機租賃針對的是像球迷這樣人數(shù)更多的群體。而現(xiàn)在我們正在做的一切其實就是幫助遣返各個國家的公民。無論是飛回菲律賓的郵輪船員,還是從非洲或阿伯丁飛往倫敦的天然氣工人。
甚至還包括度假出游的旅客。我們服務(wù)過馬拉喀什高爾夫錦標賽的大約25名乘客。在馬拉喀什機場他們的所有航班都被取消了,于是我們將他們送回英國。如果所有定期航班均被取消,我們所做的一切就是在各種數(shù)不勝數(shù)的情況下把這些人運送回國。
所以,可以說私人包機這個小眾市場目前生意非常好嗎?
我們的包機行業(yè)從短期來看表現(xiàn)要好得多。因為那些定期航班削減了許多航線,有些航空公司甚至完全停飛。我們因此有機會使用這些公司的飛機。
比如說,英國航空公司可能已經(jīng)停飛了很多航班,但是英國的外交和聯(lián)邦事務(wù)部一直在使用這些飛機遣返人員。我們的包機行業(yè)現(xiàn)在就能夠充分利用這些多出來的運力。過去想要用上英國航空公司的飛機是很難的,可現(xiàn)在的機會要大得多。
中期前景如何?
短期來看,我們會非常忙。至于中期,我認為我們的工作節(jié)奏會放慢下來。醫(yī)療用品、藥品和人道主義援助的飛行需求仍然會有,但會減少。業(yè)務(wù)還會在,但我認為將會有相當大的放緩。以我個人的觀點,在情況好轉(zhuǎn)以前,這種減緩將會持續(xù)兩到三個月的時間。
我們是代理商,就是說我們會收取固定的傭金。我們發(fā)現(xiàn)有許多私人飛機公司知道將來的業(yè)務(wù)會放緩,就把現(xiàn)在的價格定得很高。因為他們意識到自己現(xiàn)在可以出售運力,但是可能兩到三周以后就不行了。
他們?nèi)匀恍枰Ц稒C組人員工資和飛機維護費用等等。政府不會救助他們。因此私人飛機的價格在過去幾周內(nèi)一直在上漲——但這就是正常狀態(tài)。機票價格在夏季上漲;到了冬天,價格下降,他們就會跑來找我們。
當前的價格上漲是否與平時典型的季節(jié)性上漲一致?
大概會略高一點。平均而言,冬季一般會減少10%,夏季會增長10%。現(xiàn)在的情況,大概會比10%多一點。
你認為有錢人會因為定期航班的銳減而租用更多私人飛機嗎?
可能是那么回事。這場危機確實帶來了很多新業(yè)務(wù)。比如說,一家石油公司過去不會為二線或三線甚至是體力工人包租私人飛機的。而如今這些人無論如何要回家,所以他們包租了兩次航班。
租用私人飛機將六、七個人送回家,你可以把這稱為公司責任,或者員工責任。一個包機座位的費用可能是10000英鎊(約合人民幣87000元),但如果將員工留在那里要花多少錢呢?顯而易見,如果一家公司花費60000英鎊將六名工人從非洲帶回英國,它必須擁有一定的經(jīng)濟實力。但這同時也是公司品格、常識和善意的表現(xiàn)。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:晨曦
Mark Green, the CEO of British private-jet charter agent Volanteus, has been in the business for 25 years. During that time, he has experienced two significant dips—after 9/11 and during the 2008 financial crisis—but nothing like the coronavirus crisis.
Fortune spoke with Green for a new series, The Coronavirus Economy, to ask about how COVID-19 has affected his business, now completely reorienting its efforts, and to get a sense of how he has been handling this news, both emotionally and financially.
Fortune: What has changed in your business since the crisis struck?
Green: The dynamic changed almost overnight. Historically, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the private jet sector is used by high-net-worth individuals, and commercial jet chartering has historically been larger groups—such as football fans. [Now] everything we are doing, literally everything, is the repatriation of citizens of various nations going home, whether that be cruise ship staff flying home to the Philippines, or gas workers flying to London from Africa or Aberdeen.
Even leisure travelers—we had about 25 passengers at a golf tournament down in Marrakech. They had all their flights canceled at Marrakesh Airport. We repatriated them back to the U.K. All those scheduled flights were canceled. Everything we’re doing at the moment is repatriation, for a thousand different reasons.
So would you say your niche is doing well at the moment?
In the short term, our charter industry is doing a lot better because those scheduled services have curtailed a lot of their routes, and some airlines have even stopped flying entirely. We’re then able to step in and use those airlines’ [planes].
For example, British Airways may have stopped a lot of their flying, but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been using those airplanes to repatriate people. Our industry is able to utilize that spare capacity. Historically, British Airways tends not to have a great deal of availability, whereas now…the availability is much greater.
What is the outlook in the medium term?
In the short term, it is very busy. In the midterm, I think it will be able to slow down. There will still be a lesser need for medical supplies, pharma—humanitarian flying. That business is still going to be there, but I think there will be quite a dramatic slowdown. In my personal opinion, it will be two or three months before the slowdown begins to pick up again.
We’re an agent, which means we charge a fixed, commissionable rate. We are finding with a lot of the private jet companies, because they know it’s going to slow down, the aggregate price has risen considerably. They realized they can sell their aircraft [capacity] right now, but in two to three weeks probably not.
They still have crew to pay for, maintenance and so on. The government won’t be bailing them out. So the prices of the private jets have gone up over the last few weeks—but we see this all the time. In summertime, the prices go up; in winter the air companies are coming to us asking for business.
Are the current price rises in line with that typical seasonal bump?
Maybe a bit higher. On average, in winter it’s minus 10%, in summer plus 10%. Now it’s possible just a little over 10% [up].
Do you think you’ll see wealthy individuals hiring more private jets because regular services are grounded?
That could be a thing. There’s an awful lot of new business coming out of this crisis. For example, an oil company that historically wouldn’t charter a private jet for second-tier or third-tier or even menial workers—those people are struggling to get themselves home, so they charter a couple of flights.
You could call it corporate or certainly employee responsibility, chartering a private jet to ferry six or seven people home. It may be costing them 10,000 pounds [$12,230] a seat, but what’s it going to cost to keep them down there? Obviously a company spending 60,000 pounds on bringing six workers back from Africa to the U.K. has to have certain level of wealth, but it also shows character and common sense and goodwill.