Australia’s Airly and Europe’s GlobeAir in Business Aviation Partnership

Australian private aviation company Airly has partnered with European private jet charter operator GlobeAir in the first phase of international expansion as its private jet membership scheme grows.

Airly was launched in December 2015, offering charter and empty leg services in eastern Australia. In June 2021, the company launched its Access by Airly program providing access to private jet services on the east coast of Australia for a fixed, occupied hourly rate. The private jet subscription card scheme was the first of its kind in Australia and aimed to make private aviation more affordable and easier for customers to understand.

The scheme uses four-seat Cessna Citation Mustangs, operated by New South Wales-based charter and regional operator Airlink. Airly services are currently available on the eastern Australian seaboard, from Adelaide in the south to Hamilton Island in the north, covering some 130 airports, including Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

While the company launched the scheme at the height of the pandemic and was impacted by border closures in eastern Australia, within six months it had 19 card holders and reached 100 card flight hours. “As of today, we have 40 card holders and another 10 or so ready to join within the next two months. We have seen incredible multiplier growth over the last 12 months and have set goals in line with this clear initial demand for an innovative travel service,” says Alexander Robinson, co-founder of Airly. Airlink has recently doubled its Mustang fleet to help respond to the demand. “Our partnership with Airlink is highly valued and long-term,” says Robinson.

GlobeAir has 21 private jets connecting European cities, including London, Geneva, Zurich, Paris, Nice, and Milan. The partnership will provide access to over 1,600 airports in Europe and Australia, providing customers with discounted rates for travel.

“Through this new alliance, we will be able to offer enhanced travel services, international expansion efforts are supported and operational efficiency increases, resulting in win-win cooperation that will benefit our organizations and our customers,” says Luke Hampshire, Airly CEO.

Under the partnership, passengers will be able to book flights within minutes using WhatsApp. Despite the simplicity, the partners say customers will still receive tailored travel solutions from a dedicated concierge service.

Airly has plans for further expansion, in terms of fleet, reach and partnerships. “We do have ambitious fleet plans for the future, but have no announcements to make about that just yet,” says Robinson. For the time being, Airly plans to focus on the Australian east coast with the Mustangs. “The west coast and Asia are very much a consideration in tandem with our future fleet plans,” he adds.

“At this stage we are focused on our card holders locally and growing our newfound partnership with GlobeAir. While we keep an open mind for partnerships in other regions, we want to ensure what we promise is delivered to the highest level of service, one stage at a time,” says Robinson.