Wealthy flock to private jets as pandemic spreads and airlines tank

Clients choose to charter private jets because they did not want to be confined with hundreds of people with 'unknown' travel histories, and noted that private passengers usually cleared customs and immigration separate from the crowded main airport terminals. - Bloomberg

HONG KONG (AFP): With commercial airlines engulfed by the maelstrom of the coronavirus pandemic one sector of the industry favoured by the wealthy is thriving: private jets.

Fears of massive bankruptcies and calls for emergency bailouts have swept global carriers in recent days with one top US official warning that the outbreak threatens the industry even more than the Sept 11 attacks.