At an altitude of 10 kilometres above the ground, you sit back and relax in a premium leather chair, take a sip from a gold-trimmed tea service, and swipe a smartphone app to adjust the window shades when it's time to sleep.
Before bedding down you use the custom-made bathroom (shower optional) and maybe grab a snack from the well-appointed mahogany-finished galley. The cabin of your business jet is luxury overload, as awe-inspiring as the shiny twin engines that can take you on an intercontinental journey at a near-supersonic speed.
Asian billionaires and corporations alike are becoming more aware that a business jet offering privacy, flexibility and time-saving can be a worthwhile investment in productivity.
"I believe we are in the business of time. We are time machines. We give very busy executives the flexibility and comfort," says Nilesh Pattanayak, regional vice-president of sales for Asia Pacific and India with Bombardier business aircraft.
"No matter where in the world a business jet is parked, that means business is being conducted."
From a sales perspective, a US$50-million aircraft is not a luxury product but a productivity tool to increase efficiency. Of course, the corporate owner might also use a business jet to take his family on a vacation or visit a destination not served by commercial planes.
Some see business jets as toys mainly for celebrities, but movie star Jackie Chan says his two Embraer Legacy jets "allow me to do more acting and philanthropic work around the world". He views his plane as a comfortable mobile home and office combined.
And while the sluggish world economy may be cramping some bling-bling lifestyles, the last five years have seen rapid growth in business jet sales in Asia Pacific, despite a small reduction in 2014.
A special smartphone application allows the user to control many of the passenger amenities onboard a Gulfstream jet.
GROWTH DRIVER
"We are sentiment-driven. If economic indicators are not doing well, if wealth erosion is taking place, that's dampening the appetite to buy aircraft," Mr Pattanayak told Asia Focus.
Business aircraft sales are closely correlated with wealth creation, whether through gross domestic product (GDP) growth, capital markets or industry expansion. A thriving business aviation sector in turn helps contribute to economic growth because key decision-makers can maximise their time, says Andy Gill, Asia Pacific director of business and general aviation at Honeywell Aerospace, which manufactures engines and components.
"So more deals can be done and more meetings can be held to drive business more quickly and sustain the growth rate. It helps the economy grow," he said.
The Canadian aerospace and transport company Bombardier, in its 2015-24 outlook, forecasts 9,000 new deliveries of business jets generating $267 billion, with North America and Europe the main markets. They currently account for 65% and 14% of the world's fleet, respectively.
Honeywell Aerospace has trimmed its forecast through 2025 to 9,200 new jet deliveries worth $270 billion, a decline of 3-5% in value from its previous forecast, reflecting slower growth and some problems in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies. Longer-term, though, it foresees significant growth in 2018 and beyond.
Brazil-based Embraer S.A. projects around 50% of its fleet deliveries will go to the United States, while it expects steady growth in Asia Pacific where the market has yet to mature. Prospects appear bright for smaller markets such as Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia. Key manufacturers are also expanding their support services in Asia Pacific and catering more to local preferences.
Singapore, for instance, may not house the most business aircraft, but it sees significant economic benefits from serving the business aviation community. As a result, it has invested in a domestic-size airport in Seletar and developed an aviation park that is home to companies including Bombardier, Jet Aviation and Hawker Pacific.
"Most of the business aircraft in the region come to Seletar to have maintenance done and we are hearing more B-registered or Chinese-registered aircraft starting to come into Seletar as well," said Mr Gill from Honeywell.
The upturn in Chinese business reflects space constraints in Hong Kong, while new hubs are opening up in the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia, he added.
In India, he said, sentiment is improving as the Modi government promotes business innovation, which should create more demand for business aviation. An example is the joint venture between the Hong Kong-based business aviation provider Metrojet and Taj Air, the aviation unit of Tata Group, to establish a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in India.
Bombardier forecasts 310 planes will be delivered to South Asia between 2015 and 2024 with 12% compound annual growth, second after China at 13%.
"Maturing industry leaders in Asia are starting to realise that business aircraft is truly the ultimate tool for corporate connectivity," Mr Pattanayak said, noting that Asian multinationals that are expanding internationally are big customers. A company with operations in many different cities in the region requires frequent travel between these many locations, especially secondary cities where commercial service is limited or available.
"For us, if we get India, China, Indonesia and Australia right, I think these are the big drivers of Asia Pacific," he said.
"Other locations such as Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan have great opportunities to be developed because the markets haven't expanded as much yet. The installed bases are small and there are a lot of customers who have the need that haven't yet acquired an aircraft."
About 1,540 business jets or 17% of the global total will be delivered to Asia through 2024, Bombardier said in its forecast.
The geographic spread of Asia Pacific (excluding China and South Asia), the Indonesian archipelago being a good example, necessitates long-range aircraft for transoceanic trip. The Bombardier report indicates the region will take 355 new planes within a decade and close to 60% of them will be larger aircraft.
Mr Pattanayak said one interesting feature in the region was that many airports present challenging access. This creates demand among clients who need quick access to areas where the infrastructure to handle commercial planes is poor.
A Gulfstream G550 interior offers comforts well beyond those of first-class sections on commercial planes.
FLEET AFTERMARKET
Growing demand for business jets also leads to growing demand for parts, maintenance and related services, which is good business for Honeywell Aerospace. It recorded 20% sales growth last year, faster than the regional market average of 12-14%. It has benefited from more retrofits and upgrades of existing aircraft, especially cockpit and connectivity upgrades, which are boosting aftermarket opportunities.
In the resale market, "the number of business jets up for sale has come down to around 10% of the global fleet from 16% a few years back. That is a good indicator that people are holding on to their business jets longer," said Mr Gill.
As with cars, some customers replace business jets as soon as the warranty period expires, while others get attached to their vehicles and hang on to them longer. For Honeywell, there are always new technologies and approaches to modifications and retrofitting that can allow aircraft to maintain their value for longer.
"By bringing in that technology, they stay relevant and current. There is no need to necessarily change your business jet just because there is a newer version on the market," Mr Gill said.
The growing aftermarket can be a challenge to jet manufacturers, but the fact that fleet numbers are forecast to grow at 14% globally, according to Mr Gill, shows there are always new customers and manufacturers are enjoying the share of that growth.