Business leaders take private flights because they cannot afford to hang around or risk something going wrong

More than 1,000 private jets and helicopters are expected to fly to Switzerland next week as business leaders join presidents and prime ministers for the World Economic Forum.

Bankers, advisers, lobbyists and journalists flock to the meeting in Davos every January. Those planning to take a private flight from Britain with a few friends or colleagues can expect to pay up to £27,000 for a return trip. About 200 private flights were made to the region every day during last year’s event.

“They cannot afford the risk of not turning up because something goes wrong,” Clive Jackson, chief executive of Victor, a jet chartering app, said. “They can’t afford the inefficiency of having to hang around for a scheduled service.”

About 2,500 people are expected