If you have been to an executive aviation event recently, chances are that you might have stumbled upon Jetex’s distinctive orange logo.  

From its Dubai base, this corporate aviation operator, which provides a one-stop shop for high-end travelers, has grown into a global player. The company supplies everything from ground services to aircraft chartering and the accompanying concierge service.   

AeroTime caught up with Jetex’s founder and CEO, Adel Mardini, on the sidelines of the EBACE executive aviation show, which took place in Geneva between May 28-30, 2024, to learn more about the company and the role it plays in an increasingly competitive private aviation marketplace. 

“The difference between what we are doing and anyone else is that, for us, there are no passengers, but guests,” Mardini said. “Our point, our focus is the experience. The journey. It is not so much about the private jet itself but about the process before getting onboard.”  

Here Mardini made a comparison to illustrate the value proposition Jetex proposes to its customers.  

“Maybe on first class in major airlines such as Emirates or Qatar Airways you get a way better seat than on a business jet, but the terminal, the process, how you can arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the flight, the after-flight, it is different,” he said. 

He added: “This is the experience that we are selling to our client.” 

Jetex has opted to build a strong brand to position itself in a market in which customers’ expectations are, by nature, incredibly high.  

“Our target [is] to build loyalty between the client who’s flying with us and Jetex. Loyalty is about one thing: how these people trust the brand,” he said. 

Strictly speaking, Jetex is not an air operator, rather it pieces together all the elements that make up a high-end travel experience. 

“Our core business is totally different [from other executive jet operators] because we are organizing the whole support and concierge for the clients starting from the limo service to the plane, to the private butler, private concierge the private villa,” Mardini said. “So, it’s all about the journey. We don’t own planes. We are not an aircraft operator. We just like to focus on the customer experience, on the terminal and on the plane.” 

He continued: “We do a lot of ad-hoc flights. In fact, our business is not limited to this [flying]. We take care of all the logistics and support for the plane. The moment the captain asks to fly, we do all the clearances for them, the dispatch, the ground handling the fueling the catering, so it’s a one stop shop for everything.”  

“When our guests book a flight with us, they just don’t book the flight, they get the clearance, the dispatch…everything,” he added. “We don’t outsource any of these to anyone.” 

Unlike other well-known names in this industry, Jetex doesn’t require clients to sign up for any sort of membership program or similar. It operates a purely on-demand service. 

“We are working with many [customers] on an ad-hoc basis,” Mardini said. “There’s been massive business growth, also post-COVID.  

“I’ll give you an example,” he continued. “In Dubai we did almost 3,700 flights in 2019. Last year the figure was around 11,000, an almost 300% jump.” 

Not owning its own aircraft allows Jetex to be flexible with its choices.  

“We select the aircraft based on the customer requirements,” Mardini explained. “Sometimes they are looking for long-range, others for short-range. It is all about the customer requests and based on their budget. From B777s to Citation XLRs! Every single client has [its] own criteria, its own profile.” 

Jetex is plotting further expansion, particularly when it comes to private jet terminals. Currently, it has 39 of them, and Mardini confirmed it will be adding another three before the end of the year. 

“Our intention is to reach 50 locations globally and then we would like to maintain this number in order to control the quality of the service,” he confirmed. 

Mardini proudly pointed out how Jetex has continued to grow well above the industry.  

He affirmed his positive outlook for the business, particularly in the regions where Jetex has the strongest presence: the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.   

“In the first quarter of this year, the general aviation business recorded an almost 1.9% drop globally, while our company recorded more than 10% growth,” Mardini said. “Business is great!”