Dubai leads Middle East private jet demand, says X-1 Jets CEO

Arabian Business

02-05-2025

A Monaco-based private aviation company is seeing Dubai emerge as the strongest market for private jet services in the Middle East, according to its CEO.
'The most demand is from Dubai, and after I think the second market is Saudi Arabia,' said Benjamin Lehmann, CEO of X-1 Jets, in an interview with Arabian Business.
'After that are smaller markets – Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait. But still, this is a niche market, but with good customers flying on a regular basis.'
the influx of high-net-worth individuals moving to Dubai in recent years.
Recent reports suggest that the United Arab Emirates continues to lead globally in attracting high-net-worth individuals, with Dubai being at the forefront of this trend. According to Henley & Partners' latest report, the UAE welcomed around 6,700 new millionaires last year, marking the third consecutive year it has topped global rankings for net millionaire inflows. Dubai accounted for a significant portion of these wealthy migrants and is now home to a total of 81,000 millionaires.
'The market is growing in the Middle East, [but] it's a little bit softer in Europe,' Lehmann noted. 'But in general, the [Middle East] market is growing and it's increasing on a regular basis.'
To capitalise on this growth, X-1 Jets has unveiled its JetCard programme specifically designed for Gulf travellers visiting Europe this summer. The programme allows GCC residents to purchase blocks of flight hours for seamless travel between European destinations.
The Summer 2025 JetCard programme offers packages ranging from 6.25 to 25 flight hours on light jets accommodating up to 8 passengers. The service is available for use between May and September, with no blackout dates or routing restrictions within Europe.
'We are based in Monaco, serving a lot of the European market. Since a few years, we are developing the US market and Middle East market,' said Lehmann, who is currently based in Qatar after previously living in Dubai in 2014 and 2015.
The company already serves clients across the Gulf region, including Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, with plans for further regional expansion.
How the JetCard program works
The programme operates on a simple premise. Clients pre-purchase flight hours that can be used throughout Europe without additional positioning fees that typically drive up private aviation costs.
A 12.5-hour package costs approximately $70,200 (AED257,843), with travellers paying only for the time they spend in the air. For example, a one-hour flight from Geneva to Ibiza would cost around $5,687-$6,824 (AED20,888-AED25,064).
'They call us and say, 'I want to do Geneva to Palma,' and they will pay always the same price – just the flight time deducted from their JetCard,' Lehmann explained. 'There is no positioning. The problem in business aviation is positioning – the aircraft is never where you want to go.'
The JetCard includes door-to-door service with limousine transfers, and clients can arrive just 10 minutes before their scheduled departure time.
Bringing Middle East service standards to European skies
A key selling point of the programme is the company's focus on replicating the high service standards Gulf travellers are accustomed to receiving at home.
'We want Middle East customers to feel in Europe as if they were in the Middle East,' Lehmann said. 'In Europe, it's not like Middle East – people in Europe are carrying less, they are more like robots.'
Lehmann elaborated that European service providers often lack the attentiveness and customer care that is standard in the Gulf region. 'We want people to feel that someone is taking care of them, that they feel comfortable, they can travel in confidence, peace of mind.'
This approach includes handling all operational issues behind the scenes, such as mechanical problems or weather delays, without troubling the client. 'We just tell them, 'Your aircraft is ready, go for it,' and we take care of all the problems we can have in terms of operation.'
Commercial first class vs. flying private
While prices for private flights within Europe remain relatively stable under the JetCard programme, costs for flying private directly from Dubai to Europe can vary significantly depending on aircraft availability, timing, and passenger numbers.
Flying private directly from Dubai to Europe can cost between $45,469-$113,671 (AED167,006-AED417,511). Lehmann noted that many Middle Eastern travellers prefer a hybrid approach to luxury travel.
'Most customers here take first class on Qatar Airways or Emirates for the long-haul flight to Europe,' Lehmann said. 'Then when they put a foot in Europe, we take care of them.'
This approach offers significant time savings for short European routes. 'When you travel in Europe, from Paris to Nice or London to Geneva, that takes a lot of time with commercial flights. You have to go early to the airport, go through all the process, and you are losing a lot of time for very short flights.'
For Middle Eastern travellers planning summer vacations in Mykonos, Ibiza, Monaco, or other European hotspots, the programme promises to deliver the same high service standards they've come to expect at home.
'We want to be efficient and provide the highest level of service, but at a fair price,' Lehmann concluded. 'X-1 Jets is here to become a leader in private aviation and to make the people happy at a fair price.'