Qatar Airways has recently expanded its private jet charter business to include tailored flight operation, trip planning and allocation of pilots and flight attendants.

There is substantial market potential for this service among their existing clientele, according to the airline’s CEO, Akbar al-Baker, who himself heads the firm’s business jet division. Qatar Airways’ private jet arm now operates eight long-range fleet Bombardier aircraft to meet brisk demand for executive air travel. Three of these were acquired over the past 18 months.

Qatar Airways’ long-range private jet fleet includes:

• 3 Challenger 605
• 4 Global 5000
• 1 Global XRS

The company is also understood to have received a ninth aircraft from France’s Airbus, the 40-seater A319, to accommodate larger groups. Until now, the largest private chartered jet offered by the airlines was the Global XRS, which can carry 13 passengers.

In a clear indication of growing demand for private travel, Dubai’s Emirates airline reported in December last year that its sole chartered aircraft, also an A319, has flown more than 450 hours between the fall of 2013 and the end of 2014. Emirates’ A319, fitted with private suites and a multifunctional lounge area, seats 19 passengers.

Emirates’ main clientele for the private jet business includes corporate executives, large family groups and government delegations.

Europe is the key destination for the Gulf carriers’ private jet business. The Cote d’Azur airport in Nice, for instance, has 18 parking spaces and private hangars allocated to private and chartered jets from all over the world, including those that carry business executives and celebrities, as well as royalties coming from the Middle East.