Editor’s Note – Business Jet Fleet Report YE 2024

In a quiet corner of Hong Kong, an old (ish) man stands on his balcony staring out into the distance. He glances down at his wrist and watches as the seconds hand slowly ticks all of the way from 50 to 0. All around him he can hear fireworks and people cheering – the world is celebrating the dawn of a new year. But not for him, instead he slowly slides his balcony door shut, and sits down on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. “Here we go again’’ he says to himself as he tries to drift off to sleep.

Fleet Report time is an interesting time for me and the rest of the Asian Sky Group team. I never realized I have so many friends. So many people come out of the woodwork at this time of the year, people that I haven’t heard from since the last Fleet Report reappearing as if by magic. It’s also a time when the skullduggery begins. We check all of the data through multiple different sources for the Fleet Report. It is not a one-week project for us, it’s a never-ending cycle.

We have of course heard it all over the years, reasons why aircraft should still be counted even though they fall outside our criteria. We’ve had companies trying to claim and aircraft is still active even though there’s multiple photographic records of it rotting away in the corner of an obscure airport, aircaft that have been sold into different regions months prior, and aircraft that haven’t even been delivered yet.

We also had some operators inflating their fleet numbers, but then not being able to provide any proof. This goes against the spirit of the fleet report, as we require multiple sources for validation. We won’t just take a number that a company gives us and blindly believe it. Think of it like this – If I told you I married Fan Bingbing last week, your first reaction would be ‘Oh, she’s done well for herself,‘ but after that you’d (quite rightly) want to see some proof.

There is perhaps some education needed as to the scope of this report. Although the validity date of the data is referenced not only on the front cover and also in the credits, it is referenced multiple times throughout the report. However, through some conversations it would appear that not everybody realizes that this report is for active aircraft in Asia-Pacific on December 31, 2024. That means that any aircraft not normally based in Asia-Pacific and active on that date will not be counted.

To give several examples of aircraft that are not counted: Aircraft that are managed from Asia-Pacific but fly from other regions, aircraft that were operated by Asia-Pacific operators but were sold before December 31st, and aircraft that were delivered from January 1st 2025 onwards. These have always been the rules, and although people always try and bend them, we have always stuck steadfast to them. This means that we can’t be bought, we can’t be argued into accepting something that is outside our rules, and it ultimately means that we present to you the fairest, most accurate data from year to year.

This year’s Business Jet Fleet Report might look a little different, but underneath it is the same. Our Fleets Report have largely looked the same since their inception more than ten years ago, so we thought it was just about time to give it a fresh new look. Of course, it is not just the Fleet Report that has been refreshed, our Quarterly has also had the same treatment.

You might have picked up a printed copy of this Fleet Report at the inaugural Business Aviation Asia Forum and Expo (BAAFEx) in Singapore. The show itself has been organized by Experia Events – the team behind the Singapore Airshow amongst others – and aims to fill the void leftover from ABACE not returning since Covid.

This edition of Fleet Report also coincides with the release of event tickets for the next Asian Sky Forum. Due to be held in Bangkok in June, the Forum promises two full days of engaging panels with some of the brightest minds in the region, along with three nights of cocktail functions and plenty of other networking opportunities. You can find out more about the event and book tickets here: www.asianskygroup.com/events/asian-sky-forum-2025-bangkok

Although I said earlier that underneath this Fleet Report is the same as before, we do have a new Executive Summary section, expertly written by our own Consultancy Services Director Dennis Lau. I’d obviously encourage you to read all of the report for all of the granular details, but if you really don’t have much time then this section will give you everything you need to know quickly.

Elsewhere, along with the usual data and details that you have come to rely on, Rolls-Royce walks us through the advantages of its Corporate Care Enhanced, which focusses on aircraft availability. We also include a fascinating (I have to say that as I wrote it myself) deeper country profile looking at the Vietnam business aviation market. Having gone through many changes recently, business aviation is bouncing back in the country with new aircraft deliveries. That’s set to continue, and indeed a new G650ER was delivered to the country just last month.

All that remains to be said is a big thank you to everybody that has contributed to this report. No matter how small or large the contribution was, it all goes into making this the most up to date an accurate report on the business jets operating in Asia-Pacific at the end of 2024.

Sincerely,
Alud Davies
Media & Publications Director
Asian Sky Group