From air taxis to sustainable fuel, Jetex targets ultimate efficiency
After nearly two decades building a global private aviation brand defined by scale and polish, Jetex founder and CEO Adel Mardini is now focused on streamlining the journey itself
22 January, 2026
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For nearly two decades, Adel Mardini has done what few founders in private aviation have managed. He has built Jetex by reshaping the private aviation market, using Dubai’s geographic reach and regulatory openness to scale a premium service across regions.
Under his leadership, Jetex has grown from a single location into a network spanning 38 locations globally, set to reach 75 by the end of next year, prized for its sleek environments, meticulous service standards, and brand consistency.
That phase of Jetex’s evolution is largely complete. Today, Mardini’s focus has shifted. The emphasis is no longer on how Jetex looks, or even how large it becomes, but on how efficiently the entire system works and where time is still being lost.
“People don’t fly private just to be in the air,” Mardini says, speaking at Jetex’s flagship VIP terminal at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport. “They do it to save time. If you land and then lose another hour or two on the ground, the experience breaks.”
That observation has become a key principle behind Jetex’s next chapter. After years spent building scale, brand credibility, and global reach, the company is repositioning itself as a connective platform, designed to remove friction from every stage of private travel, from arrival and transfer to fuel, infrastructure, and what comes next.
Solving the last mile
The most visible expression of that shift is Jetex’s growing focus on the so-called “last mile”, the point at which private aviation’s promise of time-saving often begins to unravel.
For many clients, the contradiction is familiar. A private jet shaves hours off a journey, immigration takes minutes — but then a ground transfer consumes another one or two hours in traffic. For travellers paying a premium to compress time, the inefficiency is hard to ignore.
It is this gap that has pushed Jetex to focus increasingly on the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) sector. Through partnerships with Archer and Joby Aviation, Jetex is positioning itself as an infrastructure and services partner for air taxi operations. This is not a pure technology play, but a practical extension of private aviation.
“The vertiport industry is expected to grow into a market worth more than $200bn over the next 10 to 15 years,” Mardini says. “For us, eVTOL is not a novelty. It’s about solving the biggest inefficiency in private travel.”
Jetex’s ambition is to integrate eVTOL aircraft directly into its terminal operations, allowing passengers to transition from jet to air taxi with minimal friction.
“Connecting the traditional jet with eVTOL aircraft will be a major milestone for us,” Mardini says. “And it’s one we will achieve.”
Jetex has already signed agreements with Archer and Joby to support their growth in the UAE, with plans to extend this capability across its global network. Dubai is expected to be among the earliest deployment sites.
“Our clients want to complete their journey,” Mardini adds. “They want to land, finish their procedures, and move on immediately. That’s what we’re building.”
This emphasis on continuity also explains Jetex’s move beyond the airport itself. In 2026, the company plans to operate its first lifestyle premises, incorporating a café, a hotel, and a private members’ club.
Rather than viewing the airport as the endpoint, Jetex increasingly sees it as one node in a broader ecosystem that serves the same clientele beyond aviation alone.
“Our clients already trust us with their time, their privacy, and their travel,” Mardini says. “That trust allows us to extend the experience into other parts of their lives.”
Global footprint to connected flow
This focus on efficiency helps explain why Jetex’s next phase of expansion looks different from its last.
With the network set to reach 75 locations, spanning the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the numbers suggest continued rapid growth.
“This footprint gives us something very powerful,” Mardini says. “It allows us to deliver the same service, the same experience, everywhere. That consistency is what enables us to connect the entire journey.”
Before Covid-19, Jetex’s typical private aviation client was an ultra-high-net-worth individual from traditional sectors such as oil and gas, or a government official, often aged between 50 and 80. Private aviation was largely about access and discretion.
Since the pandemic, that profile has shifted markedly.
Today, the average Jetex passenger is between 25 and 55, with growing representation from technology, crypto, fashion, entertainment, and creative industries. Many migrated from first and business class on commercial airlines during Covid-19 and never returned, drawn by speed, privacy, and control.
“These clients are extremely time-sensitive,” Mardini says. “They are globally mobile, digitally fluent, and they expect the experience on the ground to work as seamlessly as it does in the air.”
Scaling with sustainability
Efficiency is not only about movement. It is also about fuel, infrastructure, and systems working together.
At the recent Dubai Airshow, Jetex supplied sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and sold out its entire allocated volume. Demand was strong enough that additional supply was requested but unavailable.
“We were very happy to bring SAF fuel to the Dubai Airshow,” Mardini says. “The fact that it sold out tells you demand is increasing.”
Jetex has been the exclusive ground handler for the Dubai Airshow since 2016, and this marked the second time it introduced SAF at the event. While cost, availability, and certification challenges remain, Mardini believes client pressure is accelerating adoption.
“Many of our corporate clients have their own net-zero commitments,” he says. “They expect us to provide fuel options that help them meet those goals.”
Geographically, Saudi Arabia represents one of Jetex’s most strategically important growth markets. The company has been appointed exclusive fixed-base operator at Red Sea International Airport, the gateway to one of the kingdom’s most ambitious luxury tourism developments.
“That means we’ll be there from the very first flight,” Mardini says. “We’ll be shaping the experience for every VIP and private passenger who arrives.”
Beyond the Red Sea, Jetex is actively evaluating opportunities in Riyadh, Jeddah, and NEOM. Operationally, the Saudi facilities will mirror Jetex’s Dubai flagship, with lounges, concierge services, crew rest areas, and on-site customs clearance.
“Our model is to replicate the same feel everywhere,” Mardini says. “If you land in the Red Sea or Riyadh, it must feel like Jetex Dubai.”
Elsewhere, Jetex is expanding across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Markets such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam remain at an early stage of private aviation development. Southeast Asia’s business jet market is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 15.5 per cent between 2025 and 2030, according to Mordor Intelligence.
“These markets are fragmented,” Mardini says. “But that fragmentation creates opportunity for a global brand with standards.”
Behind Jetex’s polished lounges sits a centralised operating engine. From Dubai, a 24/7 global operations team coordinates flight planning, permits, fuel, catering, and ground handling across the network.
“From the moment a client calls, our system kicks in,” Mardini says. “We can arrange services anywhere in the world within hours.”
This is supported by proprietary technology that tracks flights, crew schedules, and fuel supply in real time.
“Technology doesn’t replace our people,” Mardini says. “It makes them faster and more accurate.”
Connecting what comes next
As Jetex accelerates its expansion, the challenge is no longer simply growth, but integration, ensuring complexity disappears entirely from the client’s point of view.
“If we can grow and still have our customers feel like we are their personal aviation team, then we’ve succeeded,” Mardini says.
The footprint is expanding. The infrastructure is evolving. The experience is being re-engineered.
Jetex’s next frontier is efficiency — and the ability to turn time itself into its most valuable offering.
- Read the full cover story in the latest January 2026 edition of Gulf Business Magazine.
