A change in Emirates Airline’s pilot training syllabus has given the carrier the opportunity to launch an executive jet charter service.
The Dubai-based airline has launched an on-demand regional charter service, using five Embraer Phenom 100EV entry-level executive jets previously used by Emirates Flight Training Academy. The academy now uses Diamond Da-42 twin diesel-engined aircraft and Cirrus SR22 single-engine piston trainers.
The Phenom 100EVs can typically carry four passengers. Embraer gives the aircraft’s range with that payload as 1,178 nm / 2,182 km, which is enough to cover the Gulf region and as far east as Mumbai, on India’s west coast.
Several other Middle East airlines—notably Qatar Airways and Saudia—already offer executive jet services. Additionally, Bahrain-based Gulf Air announced in 2021 that it would make its airliner fleet available for private charter services.
Emirates’ Phenoms “are now going to be used exclusively for charters,” an Emirates spokeswoman told Aviation Daily.
“We are seeing an opportunity for charter and regional services for busy people who require that kind of transport.”
The new service will operate out of Al Maktoum International Airport, otherwise known as Dubai World Central (DWC), rather than Dubai International Airport. DWC is already the hub for most of Dubai’s executive jet traffic, the spokeswoman noted.
In Dubai, customers for the executive jets will be chauffeur-driven to DWC and escorted by a dedicated representative through the airport, to minimize pre-flight wait times. At their destination, customers will again have an escorted arrival and VIP clearance service at customs and immigration provided by private terminal service partners.
