Photo © Ciel du Monde
It is the traveller’s holy grail: a tailor-made experience, listed somewhere between Rolls-Royce, Romanée-Conti and Koh-I-Noor in the small, precious world of luxury. The Ciels du Monde air cruise transports you into an exclusive, epic, supersonic universe. Dock one morning on Easter Island, dine 48 hours later by moonlight in Bora Bora, dance with the Māori in Auckland the same week, climb the steps of a Buddhist temple in Siem Reap a few days after ascending those of Machu Picchu… In a single journey, you set out to conquer some of the planet’s most remarkable monuments, the cradle of millennia-old civilisations. Founded by globetrotter Edouard George, a veteran of tourism and a friend of kings as well as mountain guides, the travel agency Ciels du Monde reigns supreme in a highly confidential industry. Monde Economique invites you to fasten your seat belt for a dream stay.
By Sabah Kaddouri
Media teams are rarely granted a seat aboard a private aircraft specially chartered by Ciels du Monde. For good reason: this is a unique odyssey — the journey of a lifetime — reserved for a happy few able to pay the handsome sum of 31,500 euros. At the very least. The profile? Wealthy entrepreneurs, heirs, sports champions or lottery winners. There are also candidates who have patiently saved up to afford the finest reward of all: a VIP round-the-world trip spread over three unforgettable weeks. We know sea cruises linking continents in the style of floating cities, but as a niche within a niche, the air cruise is aimed at insiders in search of intense emotions. Of pure essence. An aircraft skimming low over the ancestral statues of Easter Island as a farewell gesture, with the captain’s express permission for you to stand up and photograph this suspended moment up close… all while still in the takeoff phase… No sea-going vessel can offer you that kind of thrill. Such is life in the fuselage of a Ciels du Monde aircraft. Everything is new, spectacular and seamless. As for you, you will no longer be the same person on arrival, having lived so intensely, viscerally, fabulously…
Behind this symphony of happiness lies, above all, a feat of organisation: coordinating the movement of around a hundred passengers of different ages and nationalities, and crafting a bespoke, immersive itinerary taking them from one country to another while respecting a schedule that would make Swiss watchmakers blush. It is a challenge that requires formidable logistics, since the aircraft dedicated to this odyssey must be self-sufficient for a month and deliver the same level of service at every stop. Tasting foie gras sprinkled with caviar as a starter must be just as possible in Peru as on the flight taking you to Borobudur in Indonesia. Treating an injury or persistent stomach pain also comes with immediate care from an onboard doctor. Back pain? Ask the Tibetan masseur to ease it at 30,000 feet. On its crossings, Ciels du Monde recreates the comfort of a city at altitude — pardon, a palace — to ensure safety, peace of mind and an experience within the experience. Your only concern? Arriving fresh and rested at every stop.
It is truly on D-day, at the airport’s main meeting point, that the scale of this extravagance becomes clear. Ciels du Monde and its charismatic CEO Edouard George, assisted by the indispensable cruise director Yann Mathieux — a great tourism road warrior — call to order some 150 passengers arriving mainly from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy and Canada. Their core market. Alongside the duo, you discover a lean team of twenty people dressed in Ciels du Monde colours. Porters, stopover supervisors, doctor, nurse, masseurs, chef, aeronautical experts including a legendary Concorde pilot, Captain Guy Cervelle, videographer, customs manager… A cast that makes it clear we are entering another dimension. Then come the introductions of figures just as essential to the smooth running of your planetary loop: crew members freshly arrived from Portugal and ordinarily tasked by dignitaries of the Portuguese army. Three pilots, supported by 12 cabin crew, join the welcome message.
First briefing from cruise director Yann Mathieux, who invites you to do something unusual: hand over your passport and luggage. From this moment on, everything will be under Ciels du Monde’s control. Your priority is to check the weather at the first stop: Cancún, Mexico. Yes, it is very nice there! A striking contrast with the autumn rain of this late 2025.
The holidaymakers are split into two groups: Turquoises and Sapphires. The Sapphire category corresponds to Business Class, with all the expectations that come with it: priority boarding, a seat that converts into a bed and is even embroidered with your name, gourmet meals, vintage champagne and wines, access to exclusive places and experiences, accommodation in some of the world’s finest hotels, surprise touches throughout the journey… A formula prized by a handful of privileged travellers for whom travel is, above all, an art. In this VIP cabin, you may well come across a few celebrities from show business and the corporate world…
At takeoff, Yann Mathieux — once again — confirms his leading role as an operations director endowed with ubiquity: nothing escapes him! Over a year of preparation, he has mapped out every detail, anticipated every moment and considered every scenario (delay, technical incident, sudden coup d’état, health issue, weather risks, tensions among travellers…), every hypothesis has been worked through so that nothing can catch the team off guard. And so you set off on an airborne closed-door journey that will take you to the ends of the earth. In Tahiti or New Zealand, you will be around thirty hours from Europe. Yann Mathieux will regularly take the floor to share practical in-flight information, updated in real time.
Next, the American leg, to discover the Maya pyramids and their glorious civilisation. The excitement is both visible and palpable among your fellow travellers as they leaf through the circuit brochure.
1. Chichen Itza – Mexico: The first site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list; this city near the coast, south of the Gulf of Mexico in the state of Yucatán, fascinates with its colonial charm and is home to the ruins of the famous Maya civilisation, known above all for its advances in many fields such as writing, art and architecture. Ciels du Monde has also planned a stop at one of the cenotes for an exceptional swim.
2. Cuzco – Peru : 4,185 kilometres further south, deep in Latin America, in the Andes mountain range and the former capital of the Inca Empire. Cuzco has shone for centuries thanks to its archaeological remains and Hispanic colonial architecture. Exploring the ancient 15th-century Inca city of Machu Picchu, literally “old mountain”, will leave travellers speechless. Those lucky enough to be travelling in Sapphire class will even have the privilege of boarding the famous Belmond Hiram Bingham train… the Latin counterpart to the Orient Express. A multi-layered experience that perfectly captures the Ciels du Monde spirit and its “Art of Travelling”.
3. Easter Island – Chile : Perhaps the most eagerly awaited stop of them all… This corner of the world, mystical, magnetic and enigmatic, leaves no one indifferent. Because yes, something physiological happens when you set foot there… You are swept through, pierced by an inexplicable energy emanating from the imposing Moai, monumental basalt statues dating from the 13th and 15th centuries. It is as if we were suspended between the Blue Planet and Mars. “The most striking thing is being lucky enough to arrive on a stormy day… The staging is even more enchanting. The standing statues — whose meaning and very construction historians, archaeologists and scientists still struggle to explain — stare back at you as if they had come from elsewhere.”, Edouard George tells you.
The founder and president of Ciels du Monde is a well of knowledge whose commentary greatly enriches your earthly exploration.
3,757 kilometres west of Lima, the capital of Peru, the volcanic territory of Easter Island seems lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. You are 14,050 kilometres from Geneva and levitating, dreaming in 4D… Magical.
4. Tahiti – French Polynesia : After that celestial shock, a short retreat is in order to gather one’s thoughts. Head to Bora Bora for an immersion in paradise. Turquoise waters, XXL overwater villas, delicious seafood grills, luxurious spa treatments, manta rays and a swarm of dolphins… You taste a chic Robinson Crusoe life, as close to Mother Nature as it gets. This break comes just in time to catch your breath after several domestic flights added to the intercontinental legs. Four days, three nights — perfect for building unforgettable memories. Some fellow travellers will even find the place and the moment right to renew their vows during a 100% Polynesian ceremony. Bora Bora confirms its reputation as the kingdom of honeymooners.
When it is time to leave this eden that has lived up to expectations, you visit a very discreet boutique that only receives by appointment to buy magnificent Tahitian pearl jewellery. President Edouard George will let you in on the secret…
5. Auckland – New Zealand : Mindful of combining adventure and culture, Ciels du Monde also opens a window onto the Māori people, who share Polynesian heritage. What stands out is the seamless coexistence of modernity and tradition in this capital, 18,611 kilometres from Switzerland. On the programme: encounters with locals, Māori performances and rituals, museum visits and local workshops, a gourmet dinner on the Riviera in a yacht-club atmosphere. And, of course, a visit to a site rich in geysers. New Zealand is an example of nature conservation, much like Switzerland.
6. Yogyakarta – Indonesia : A country straddling both hemispheres, Indonesia is a vast mosaic of cultures and ethnic groups. Located on the island of Java, Yogyakarta holds millennia-old treasures inherited from the Buddhist era, which inspired many of the temples built in Asia’s major cities. Borobudur is an open-air museum. You will enter through the front door, staying in one of the Sultan’s princely palaces in the province. In fact, Ciels du Monde is the only private aircraft in the world ever to have been granted permission to land at Yogyakarta airport! Like a tourism Indiana Jones, Edouard George will also surprise us with a brass-band welcome for his guests at the airport.
As for Sapphire passengers, they will even be escorted by police on every transfer. Impressive!
7. Siem Reap – Cambodia : The wonder continues 2,468 kilometres farther on, in Angkor, also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Made up of a complex of 200 temples scattered across more than 400 km², it bears witness to four centuries of Khmer sovereignty. Each stopover is an opportunity for a profound and respectful expedition into human history. You, who had stored up so many images and ideas about destinations shaped by your Western environment, will vibrate with your whole being in contact with the local people — of infinite kindness — and at the sight of the paths explored. The final evening will also have the taste of eternity. You will be cordially invited to a lavish gala in the presence of Prince Tesse Sisowath, a royal highness by blood.
Red carpet, elite dancers from the Cambodian crown, refined dinner, photographers… Time to don your finest attire!
8. Agra – India : Another breathtaking masterpiece born of human hands, the mythical Taj Mahal, the sumptuous mausoleum commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in tribute to his late wife. An architectural jewel combining Islamic, Persian, Ottoman and Indian aesthetic elements, the Taj Mahal has left no one unmoved since its construction in the 17th century. It is also possible that, at this stage, fellow passengers will once again declare their love to their other half…
9. Aqaba – Jordan : The final escape of the air cruise takes us to the Middle East. A religious epicentre where the human meets the divine. In stone, in water, in matter, Jordan features on many bucket lists. Its ancient city of Petra, a wonder carved into sandstone and founded in the 6th century BC, has become one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites.
Day after day, we disconnect from the world in order to reconnect with ourselves, with humanity, with our childhood dreams. We think of those extraordinary places whose existence we first discovered through schoolbooks, television programmes and museum visits. So many feelings and images rise to the surface, as though the past were colliding with the present. Yet one compass remains certain: the promise of an indelible human adventure. As the stops unfold, strong friendships are forged, some evolving into genuine love stories! Another behaviour also emerges: passengers already booking their next round-the-world trip before they have even finished the current one!
Across time zones, we dive into life-sized postcards and, as a bonus, our moments are elevated by exceptional experiences: festive beach parties, fancy-dress galas, live performances, meals and excursions in closed and unusual venues, … The most secret doors are opened to you.
Beyond the majesty of the sites visited, it is the magic woven by the founder of Ciels du Monde over decades of expertise that adds soul to what we experience. In doing so, we become aware of the extreme complexity of overseeing an air cruise… A matter of diplomacy, strong networks, emotional intelligence, composure and virtuosity.
Ultimately, you take away as many abundant memories as authentic life lessons.
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