One of the most challenging aspects of the COVID-19 crisis for international embassy teams has been the need to repatriate citizens, sometimes in the face of medical emergencies and often where borders and airports are shut to commercial air traffic.  One solution being deployed by organisations such as the Foreign & Commonwealth Office has been private jet and commercial jet charter. Offering more flexible itineraries, specialist aircraft and social distancing on-board, private aviation has been able to respond to challenging travel briefs where commercial flights were unsuitable.

For example, in late March the FCO facilitated the emergency repatriation of a British family from Morocco with a young child vulnerable due to an underlying medical condition after the border had closed. That journey was organised through award-winning, on-demand air charter service – Victor, and its emergency service, Victor Rescue.

Victor Rescue operates 24/7 to support government ambassadors and ‘key worker’ organisations with a flexible, reliable solution for fulfilling critical travel needs across the globe. Victor Rescue brings together the most experienced repatriation and medical evacuation charter flight operatives for rapid response and specialist expertise. In times of crisis, aircraft charter is proven to provide the security and speed required to carry out critical missions as well as the flexibility to undertake complex or challenging travel itineraries.

The services offered by Victor Rescue include the repatriation of all nationalities across the globe, the transportation of key workers and medical evacuation where the airlines cannot support.

Clive Jackson, Founder of Victor comments: “While COVID-19 has put a halt on the luxury travel with which private aviation is often associated, with airlines grounding their entire fleets, the rapid support that business jets can provide is coming to the forefront with an increasing number of critical transport requirements that can only be fulfilled by chartered aircraft.

“Our flight operations team at Victor are used to working 24/7 in support of the most demanding and discerning customers and they are now using these skills to provide a critical service to governments, embassies, health services and international corporations flying essential missions during this time of crisis. Drawing on 7,000 aircraft available worldwide and crews used to providing unscheduled services, we are able to fulfil rescue missions with just a few hours’ notice. One such example was flying a team of healthcareprofessionals to Gibraltar to provide a much-needed resource to the Gibraltar Health Authority and Government before a spike in COVID-19 cases there.

“To transport patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, or for those travelling from high-risk and affected areas, we can arrange a portable medical isolation EpiShuttle PMIU unit accompanied by dedicated trained medical teams to ensure the highest-possible levels of medical support.”

Travel and border restrictions are changing each day, but Victor can provide the most up-to-date advice relating to your flight plans in line with these regulations. Contact the Victor Rescue team for immediate expert assistance on E: rescue@flyvictor.com or E: +44 (0)20 7384 8550. www.flyvictor.com

Pricing estimates below:

From 9,000 EUR one-way for four passengers, on a Citation XLS+ or similar aircraft:

• London to Nice
• London to Zurich
• London to Munich

Victor offers a fully-transparent, subscription-free, globally on-demand marketplace with access to 7,000 aircraft.  Using the service, clients can swiftly check pricing options and aircraft specifics before booking, only paying for the trips you make. In addition to this industry-leading booking transparency, Victor is unrivalled in its award-winning approach to sustainability. The carbon emissions on every flight are offset by 200 per cent as a standard, at no extra cost to you, in support of United Nations approved and Gold Standard accredited carbon reduction projects.