Charter customers’ focus on small price differences can obscure regulatory, operational and safety risks, Chapman Freeborn warned at the recent Corporate Jet Investor conference in Dubai. Steffen Fries, an adviser to the group CEO, said Middle Eastern customers may haggle over differences of as little as $500 without understanding why competing private-jet charter proposals vary.
A lower quote may not account for permits, airport suitability, customs availability, crew duty limits, runway conditions, fuel requirements, ground transport or contingency planning. Inexperienced brokers can also promise services that an operator cannot deliver, potentially leaving passengers exposed to delays, an unworkable itinerary or a grey-market charter involving a privately operated aircraft without the required commercial authority.
The risk is heightened in the Middle East, where a large privately owned-jet population can make compliant and unauthorised aircraft difficult for customers to distinguish visually. Brokers therefore need to verify operator qualifications, insurance, permits and operational feasibility before presenting a quotation.
Fries also linked the issue to the growing use of artificial intelligence, which could make aircraft availability and charter pricing easier to compare. Brokers whose role is limited to finding an aircraft and forwarding a price may eventually be displaced, while those providing due diligence, regulatory coordination and contingency planning should retain a role in complex charter operations.