In the high-stakes world of music and touring, having a reliable aviation partner is not just important – it’s essential. With over 60 years of experience, Air Partner is one of the industry’s leading providers of private jet, group charter, and cargo services to the entertainment sector. Our expert teams, operating out of 24 global offices, have been trusted to handle everything from challenging tour schedules to complex cargo requirements for the likes of top DJs, the ‘Queen of Pop’, and some of the world’s most iconic bands. This extensive experience, paired with our laser-like attention to detail, error-proof contingency planning, and strong industry relationships, ensures that every journey, whether it's a last-minute location hop or part of a world tour, operates efficiently.
The glamour of the music industry often hides the behind-the-scenes logistics that make each show possible. As a business, we fully understand the nuances of the sector and manage its unique challenges with a level of expertise that only decades of experience can bring. From time-sensitive turnarounds to adapting to ever-changing schedules or safely transporting full production teams and irreplaceable instruments, we ensure that your show will always go on.
Expertise You Can Trust
Whether it's a private jet for artists and their entourage, a group charter flight for crew and equipment, or a cargo charter with specialist carnet needs, our expert Private Jets, Group Charter, and Cargo divisions are meticulously tailored to meet the needs of the music and touring sector.
All teams collaborate closely with tour managers, logistic managers, or directly with artists to plan tailored flight schedules, provide 24/7 support, and respond to any last-minute changes that arise. Thanks to our strong industry relationships, our teams also handle all airport requirements. This includes fast-tracking customs, overseeing loading, arranging private hangars or luxury lounges, and coordinating with FBOs. Additionally, they can facilitate departures outside of airport hours, manage ground transportation, and organise high-end catering, security, and special requests.
With no room for error or delay, our trusted network of operators and extensive fleet of aircraft are all of the highest possible caliber. However, should an issue arise, we always have a detailed contingency plan and backup aircraft in place to ensure we meet the required deadlines. Not only this, but we continue to set the benchmark in aviation safety standards and consistently deliver bespoke private travel solutions of an extraordinary standard anywhere in the world.
Private Jets: Tailored Luxury for High-Flying Stars
Private jets not only provide the ultimate in privacy, comfort, and convenience, but they allow artists and their entourage to land much closer to their end destination. With a reputation for excellence and the ability to charter everything from light private jets to long-range aircraft and helicopters, it's no surprise that Air Partner’s roster of clients includes everyone from rock stars to world leaders and royals.
In order to consistently provide a stress-free haven for artists between gigs, we ensure that every detail is carefully planned and executed. Our recent experience highlights this commitment. As well as managing a five-month, seventy-leg worldwide tour for a renowned rock & roll artist, we successfully orchestrated a South American tour and festival season for a top DJ. This included arranging helicopter and ground transportation, sorting bespoke catering and aircraft branding, and negotiating 2 a.m. departures outside regular airport operating hours.
Group Charter: Efficient Solutions for Crew and Equipment
Providing the flexibility of transporting more luggage and equipment than commercial flights while also allowing you to be in charge of your schedule, Group Charter is an ever-popular solution for crew, stage equipment, wardrobe, and instruments. Often, it also allows groups to land at airports closer to their end destination and take advantage of superior loading and unloading processes. At Air Partner, we offer a wide variety of specialist aircraft for groups, ranging from 19 to 400 seats, and provide personalised onboard services such as premium catering, entertainment, and aircraft branding.
Each group charter and tour is unique, and at Air Partner, we strive to deliver a bespoke experience that perfectly fits your needs. For example, we recently managed a North American and Canadian tour for a legendary singer-songwriter. Over a 2.5-month period, we executed flights every two days. Leveraging our relationship with the operator, we reconfigured the aircraft to fit the tour’s specific needs, creating a luxury 12-seat first-class section for the artist and comfortable seating for the entire crew and support team in the remainder of the aircraft. Our full-service offering also ensured the safe transportation of all stage equipment, rigs, and instruments in the aircraft's vast hold.
Cargo Charter: Precision-Driven Logistics
We understand that meeting cargo delivery deadlines is non-negotiable, and we pride ourselves on providing fast and secure cargo services of an exceptionally high standard. With access to a vast array of aircraft, we handle any size or weight of cargo on either a full or part charter basis. Our real-time tracking provides peace of mind, and our deep understanding of customs processes and carnet requirements ensures a smooth, stress-free solution. To further mitigate risk, we proactively liaise with customs agents, methodically check every detail, and provide backups for each stage of the process, from recovery drivers to aircraft.
Delivering the cargo equivalent of white-glove service, we use custom-made wheel covers to further prevent wheeled cases from sliding during transit, and have expertly transported everything from full-stage rigs to guitars worth over $3.5 million each and specialist items like pyrotechnics. Our recent experience includes managing the APAC and European stadium tours for one of the highest-grossing rock bands of all time, as well as arranging a fast-turnaround extra-leg for a country music star. On this occasion, we were tasked with transporting the artist’s instruments from a festival in Iowa to a concert in Canada taking place the following afternoon. Testament to the success of our planning, we had the aircraft in the air within 3 hours.
Global Reach, Local Expertise: The Air Partner Advantage
At Air Partner, our customers benefit from unparalleled 24/7/365 specialist support from a team that combines global reach with invaluable local knowledge. Your dedicated Account Manager serves as your primary contact on an ongoing basis, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding of individual preferences. Unlike many other providers, our Account Managers are aided by an industry-leading Trip Support team. This team-based approach ensures multiple experts oversee every detail, significantly reducing the risk of errors and helping us to deliver an ultra-premium service for every flight.
Your Account Manager will also work with you on a consultative basis, often long before a tour begins, to provide detailed and transparent costs to help with planning and budget allocation. As part of this process, they will draft travel itineraries spanning countries and continents, making it possible to connect remote destinations and reduce ground transportation times thanks to their knowledge of smaller, pre-vetted private or local airports. On top of this, they can also factor in additional flights to allow artists to return home for a few days when needed.
Accountability in Action
As a business, we are committed to taking responsibility and actively reducing our emissions. We know that our customers are also increasingly mindful of their environmental impact, so thanks to our partnership with Climate Impact Partners, each flight’s carbon emissions are accurately calculated and offset into projects with the highest possible emissions reductions and the greatest social and community benefits.
Ready to Take Flight?
To find out more about how our Private Jets, Group Charter, or Air Cargo Charter offerings can meet your touring needs, or to get a quote for an upcoming trip, contact our Music & Touring experts today.
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