Gray Market for Charter More Persistent in Middle East than in Other Regions
Illegal charter can represent up to 20 to 40 percent of bizjet flights, depending on time of year.
The Middle East’s gray market for charter is more active than in other parts of the world, despite efforts to crack down on it, and can represent up to 20 to 40 percent of bizjet flights, depending on the time of year, aviation officials said at MEBAC in Riyadh last month.
Ali Al Naqbi, founding chairman of the Middle East Business Aviation Association, told MEBAC in Riyadh, “There is no specific percentage [on the size of the gray market]. We all know it is active in the region. Other parts of the world recognize our region is active.” Ghassan Hamdan, CEO of NasJet, Saudi Arabia’s biggest charter and private aviation operator, estimated the gray market constitutes between 20 and 40 percent of all charters, depending on the season.
