It’s been a unique twelve months for corporate aviation, especially for corporate pilots looking for a job.
Since the 2008 economic recession, we’ve seen a spike in aviation overall like never before. This growth came to a screeching halt as everyone put their travel plans on hold during the pandemic’s peak.
The theme was “hurry up and wait” as emergency evacuation flights caused fits and starts in corporate aviation. We’ve all heard about (or experienced) the commercial airline furloughs that took place in 2020. As is always the case, there’s no one answer for what happened in corporate aviation. Many of our corporate flight departments who normally post corporate pilot jobs regularly on BizJetJobs were totally grounded, some never stopped flying, and some charter companies were busier than ever.
Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Colorado were the most popular destinations as people looked to social distance away from the coasts. All the while, aircraft manufacturers haven’t stopped producing, indicating that the industry is gearing up for a busy 2021.
2020 notable highlights, mergers, acquisitions and more:
- VistaJet took delivery of its first Bombardier Global 7500
- The G700 made its first flight February 14.
- Dassault Aviation launched “ultra widebody” Falcon 6X
- Textron Aviation received FAA certification for the upgraded Beechcraft King Air 360/360/ER in October. The first aircraft was delivered in November. Its Cessna Model 408 SkyCourier utility aircraft made its first flight on May 17, with three test aircraft flying by October.
- Bombardier delivered the first Global 5500 (Luxaviation Europe) and Learjet 75 Liberty. The Liberty has reduced its seating capacity from eight to six, intended to lower the price and make it competitive with other light jets.
- Omaha-based JetLinx acquired Meridian Air Charter (Teterboro), securing JetLinx as the second-largest aircraft management firm in the Northeast
- XOJET began a massive fleet refurbishment and expansion program. The company also acquired Wisconsin’s Red Wing Aviation.
- Flexjet took delivery of first Embraer Praetor 600
- Aerion Supersonic selected Melbourne, FL for a $300 million production facility of its AS2 supersonic business jet.
- New focus in private aviation: health and safety. Silver Air, based out of Southern California, introduced a “COVID cleared” program to help eliminate passenger fears of contracting the virus. Flexjet now moves its crew via private flights in lieu of commercial for an added layer of protection.
- Otto Aviation unveiled its Celera 500L
- Bridger Aerospace received the first of six CL-215 amphibian aircraft.
- Aircraft sales firm Aviatrade began accepting bitcoin
- Epic Aircraft began deliveries of its E1000 all-composite single-engine turboprop in May
- Embraer and Porsche unveiled a private jet / supercar pairing, a matching Embraer Phenom 300E light jet and Porsche 911 Turbo S. Embraer delivered its first Phenom 300E in June.
- Kodiak matched up its 100 Series II and a modernized Land Rover Defender. Purchase of Kodiak’s offering includes lifetime membership to Himalaya’s experience center in Wyoming.
- Airbus turned the A220 into a private jet
Here at BizJetJobs.com we have also seen a big uptick in demand starting in November. That growth has continued with more and more great jobs being posted each day. Many of our members are also reporting better results than they expected in terms of interviews and job offers. A recent article in Bloomberg offers many positive predictions going forward and is definitely worth check out. For example, Honeywell International Inc., expects the demand for private jet flights to reach pre-covid levels by the middle of 2021. Check out the article here.
If you have questions or need assistance please don’t hesitate to give us a call 9-5 ET M-F at (402)253-7809 or drop us an email at [email protected]. We look forward to the continuing strengthening of our aviation job market, and helping our members find their ideal position in 2021.
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