How Covid-19 transformed private charter within the Film and TV Industry

With challenging circumstances changing the way all of us travelled in the past year, the film and television industry has increasingly turned to charter flights as a solution when moving cast and crew on location, allowing production to restart, and aiding in the industry’s recovery.

The complexity of film and television productions means that any delays can quickly snowball, with devastating impact on both schedules and budgets. These time constraints call for flexible, efficient air travel solutions when moving cast and crew for location shoots – that’s where ACC Aviation’s dedicated air charter team come in. 

Current trends in the industry

The impact of cancellation and rescheduling, not to mention the additional financial and time constraints of factoring in Covid protocols, means productions are under immense pressure. A crew or cast member contracting COVID-19 can result in a production shutdown and losses exceeding $100,000 a day. With the cost of delays being so high, a duty of care and reducing the risk of exposure is of paramount importance.

While it all seems like doom and gloom, The desire to mitigate risk to cast and crew have resulted in a significant increase from film and TV production companies looking to charter aircraft for location visits, moving crew, and equipment to start/resume filming. A private charter can significantly reduce travel time and can actually be safer for people to travel within their Covid bubbles rather than the risk of shared cabin space when flying commercial. 

Accessing remote destinations when travelling commercially has proven even more challenging during the current crisis – even pre-Covid, most were not well-served by scheduled flights – travel restrictions, combined with operators reducing their route networks, have made reaching these locations almost impossible by commercial means. 

Advantages of aircraft charter for film & TV

These limitations do not exist when it comes to aircraft charter. Fly wherever you want, whenever you want, from a range of airports not served by scheduled services – thereby saving time and reducing ground transfers. 

Where available, aircraft charter makes use of private terminals and fixed-base operators (FBOs), avoiding busy main terminals and offering improved health security for all cast and crew. 

Air charter also means being able to select an aircraft capable of transporting filming equipment – it gives production companies the ability to choose the aircraft most suitable for their requirements, and the peace of mind that comes with travelling with the crew onboard the same flight. 

How ACC has supported film & TV industry clients

Providing an exclusive environment for the transportation of cast, crew and equipment, private aircraft charter allows production companies to continue filming safely and securely. 

We recently supported three crew members and their 2,500kg of equipment for a shoot in the Caribbean. With no scheduled services available, aircraft charter was the only option. And, due to the amount of equipment, a regional aircraft was required versus a smaller private jet that would typically be used for this number of passengers. 

The equipment also included a large number of lithium batteries, which are classed as dangerous goods, however, our team managed to secure the necessary approvals to allow this equipment to travel onboard.

Safe, reliable aircraft charter for Film & TV productions

Now with private charter being a safer way to travel, production companies are factoring this added cost into their budgets – knowing full well that if even one person were to come into contact with the virus, production could get shut down. ACC Aviation’s air charter experts are available around the clock to discuss flight arrangements for cast and crew.

Get in touch