It can sometimes seem as though the world exists in two parallel universes. On the one hand, ordinary folk are constantly being urged – by politicians, eco-activists and celebrities – to fly less. On the other hand, demand for private-jet travel, which spiked during the pandemic, shows no sign of slowing.

Such is the clamour among wealthy travellers to avoid the crowds, some of the world’s top luxury tour operators and hotel groups, constantly on the search for new and innovative ways to keep their regulars happy, have come up with a new holiday concept: the “air cruise”, offering whistlestop world tours by private plane.

“As a market leader in more classic escorted touring, we were keen to come up with something new,” says Andy Squirrell, the managing director of Titan Travel, which ran its first private jet adventure last year, a 23-day VIP expedition aboard a Boeing 737, covering Italy, Montenegro, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Turkey, among other destinations, for about £28,000 per person. “Coming out of Covid, we really got the sense that people had saved and didn’t want to wait any longer for their once-in-a-lifetime travel experience. It felt like the right moment to launch the touring-by-air concept, but at a price point that’s more accessible than conventional private air travel.”