“When they’re going on a personal trip, they don’t want to expose their family, so they’re anteing up and paying for a private jet rather than first-class tickets for everyone and risking it,” he said.

People who don’t normally fly private are also calling. Orfali said he hopes they’ll become regular clients after experiencing the convenience and time savings of such travel.

Most operators realize the extra demand generated from the coronavirus may be temporary, especially if the outbreak continues to pummel stocks.

‘Heavily Invested’
“Our clients are people who are heavily invested in the markets,” said Richard Zaher, founder and CEO of Paramount Business Jets in Leesburg, Virginia. “When they’re losing millions of dollars, they’re not going to necessarily want to go on vacation to a place where they’re going to spend a lot of money and also possibly expose themselves to people who may carry the virus.”

“This is not good for private aviation,” he added.

PrivateFly’s Twidell shares that concern.

“Any short-term gain is obviously balanced with longer-term concerns and challenges, including the impact on the global economy,” he said. “Even now, while we’re seeing short-term additional demand, other clients are changing or canceling their travel plans.”

Authorities are stepping up measures to stop the spread of a disease that’s caused more than 2,800 deaths worldwide. Japanese schools will shut for about a month, while Saudi Arabia has halted religious pilgrimages that draw millions to cities including Mecca and Medina. In Monaco, the government has asked employees returning from risk areas to quarantine themselves for two weeks and the Israeli government has requested that citizens reconsider plans to travel abroad.

Routes Cut
Commercial airlines have been among the hardest hit. American Airlines Group Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. have lost about a quarter of their combined market value since the start of the year with analysts warning that the drubbing may get worse as the disease curbs demand for travel.

All three have suspended direct flights to mainland China through April, severing what had become a key business route. British Airways Plc and Air France-KLM have enacted similar restrictions. On Friday, United, the biggest U.S. carrier on trans-Pacific routes, pared more service to Asia, including canceling flights to Tokyo’s Narita Airport from Los Angeles and Chicago.