Ollie Air Launches Asia-Pacific Charter Operations

• Ollie Air

We all have different definitions of luxury. For some it is the soft natural cowhide of a Hermès Birkin handbag, whilst for others it is the sound of silence during a quiet weekend in the countryside.

For people chartering private jets, luxury is less subjective, with many believing that flying on a private jet is in itself is the luxury. That ethos has in many cases tricked itself down to the private jet operators themselves, which often bill themselves as luxury but regularly fail to live up to their own billing.

It’s this complacency, along with a lack of long-range charter aircraft available in Southeast Asia that has led new private jet charter company Ollie Air to be set up, which is aiming to bring luxury back to flying on private jets.

“We all know that there are not so many ultra long-range aircraft, especially in Southeast Asia available for charter,” says Ollie Air’s Managing Director, Chloe Heo. “The problem is that a lot of those that are available say that they are luxury charter operators, but when you step on board their aircraft you can see that they actually aren’t.”

Heo says that prior to forming Ollie Air she flew many empty leg flights with other operators to sample their onboard service and was left a bit disappointed by the level of service and catering, as well as the condition of the aircraft that she flew on.

“So when we started this company, our aim was always to actually provide a real private jet experience, and we are working very hard every day to make that happen.” Says Heo, adding that “We want to make a real difference in the market. I know everybody says that, but we really are trying very hard to make that happen.”

The company believes that Southeast Asia to Japan and Korea, as well as routes within Southeast Asia will be where the aircraft will be utilized the most, but the company is also hoping to pick up some longer routes as well, such as Singapore to Europe or the US.

“Our first flight was a multi-leg trip to China, but since then around 30% of our enquiries have been for flights to Europe, USA and Canada, with the rest being within Southeast Asia, to Vietnam, Cambodia, with a bit to China as well.” Says Heo.

The company launched with a Bombardier Global XRS, which underwent a full transformation to bring it up to Ollie Air’s exacting standards.

Initially the aircraft will be based in Hong Kong and will be available for charter across the region. Although the aircraft will (have) a floating base, eventually it will call Kuala Lumpur’s Subang Airport home, which Ollie Air’s Managing Director Chloe Heo says makes sense from an operational point of view, as it makes it easier for the aircraft to reach other locations across Southeast Asia to pick up passengers.

“Our interior is absolutely beautiful. Compared to all of the other aircraft that I’ve been on its one of the best interiors I have ever seen.”

We think that it’s bringing excellent value to the market, because a lot of Global Express aircraft in the market are outdated, says Heo.

Ollie Air’s expertly crafted cabin was designed to exude luxury and features a theme of warm neutral colors that flow effortlessly and logically throughout the cabin. The aircraft features as forward fully appointed gally along with flight attendant rest area, and a main cabin that is split into three distinct zones, which can seat up to 13 passengers during day, whilst at night can be configured with two beds in the main cabin and a further two beds in the aft area.

The forward zone itself features club style seating for two, with a facing divan, whilst the second zone includes a full-size table with seating for four and a set a club style seating for a further four passengers. The third zone, with direct access to the aft lavatory, features a two-place divan, as well as a single luxury seat.

Although the company launched with a single Global XRS, it says that in the future it will look at adding more aircraft, which could include aircraft smaller than the Global.

“We do want to grow in the market, so we are starting with one aircraft, but let’s just say that we won’t be ending there,” says Heo. “It makes sense for us to have another Global Express, but we are exploring the market situation to see if maybe we can have some smaller aircraft as well.”

The addition of more aircraft won’t come overnight, it will take time for the company to build up its reputation. But when they do come it will be testament to Ollie Air’s drive to bring luxury back to flying on a private jet. But it isn’t just luxury that Ollie Air is aiming for, it’s effortless luxury.

For Ollie Air, luxury isn’t just the finer touches in the cabin, it isn’t just the finest food and wine expertly served on board by hand-picked flight attendants that are trained to the highest standards. It is about the whole experience, from start to end. So from the moment the first enquiry is taken to the moment the flight has been completed, Ollie Air promises to take care of all of the smaller details to ensure a seamless hassle free experience, because the ultimate luxury is knowing that everything is taken care of for you.

“We want to make sure that when our clients get on our aircraft, they will experience the luxury,” says Heo, “But they won’t even know that there is a lot of effort going on in the background.”

Ollie Air https://www.ollie-air.com/