WingX data shows business jet activity peak in Europe, taper in US and flag in Asia | Press Release

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Press Release

Issued by WingX Advance.

August 14, 2024

WingX data shows business jet activity peak in Europe, taper in US and flag in Asia

In Week 32 (5th – 11th August) of this year, there were 69,409 business jet sectors flown globally, 1% fewer flights than in Week 32 2023, according to WingX's weekly Global Market Tracker. Part 135 and 91K business jet activity grew 1% compared to W32 in 2023, accounting for 36,727 of the business jet sectors flown. In the last four-weeks, the trend for business jet departures is up by 0.3% compared to last year. Year to date (1st January – 11th August), global business jet activity has fallen 1% compared to last year and is down 3% compared to 2022. Flight hours are also down 2% versus last year and down 3% versus 2023.

In Week 32, there were 48,115 business jet sectors recorded departing North American airports, which is 2% below W32 in 2023. In the dominant US market, Week 32 activity fell 3% compared to W32 last year, the decline coming from private and corporate flying; Part 135 and 91K sectors in the US were on par with W32 last year. So far this month (1st – 11th August), US business jet activity is 5% behind a comparable August last year, but still 23% ahead of comparable five years ago. New York and Massachusetts are the only two US states in the top 10 with year-on-year growth. Westchester County, New York state's busiest business jet airport, is 10% ahead of a comparable last year so far in August. NetJets is Westchester County's busiest operator this month, with activity up 18% YOY. Some leisure destinations saw very strong growth out of Westchester County; respectively, Nantucket and East Hampton saw a 28% and 125% rise compared to August last year.

Paris handed over the Olympic torch to Los Angeles for the 2028 edition of the Games, sparking conversations around eVTOL options to combat the city's traffic. So far this month 26% of business aviation departures on intra-city LA flights were on turboprop aircraft, while very light jets accounted for just 1% of LA's business aviation traffic. The top airport pair from the city is Van Nuys to John Wayne Orange County, with 46 business jet and turboprop flights so far this August. So far this month, almost 27,500 departures from US airports have been on Cessna business jets, represeenting 1% less than last year. Embraer activity is 4% ahead of last August. Last week the UK's Civil Aviation Authority certified the Gulfstream G700, and this year to date there have been 53 active tails of the type globally, Gulfstream's facilities in Savannah, Georgia being the main point of activity.

In Week 32 European business jet activity enjoyed a 6% bump on last year, with the last four-week trend trending 5% ahead of last year. Week 32 saw YOY rises in business jet activity across France, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Italy. With the boost from the Olympic Games, airports in France saw an 18% YOY increase in business jet departures, a sharp contrast to Germany, which saw a fall of 5% YOY.

So far this month Nice (LFMN) airport has edged ahead as the busiest business jet departure airport in France, with Paris Le Bourget second-ranked, though LFPB recorded a 77% year on year spike. London was the top city connection, with flights up 40% year on year. During the final weekend of the Olympics, ultra long-range jets were the single most active business jet type, with 56 active aircraft (9th – 11th July) arriving into Paris airports.

The Olympics and the earlier Euro football tournament have clearly drawn a larger than usual number of high-end tourists to the European area. This is evident across airports in key summer destinations in Greece. Mikonos airport has seen 249 business jet arrivals so far this month, up by 19% compared to the start of August 2023. Other popular European getaways have seen strong business jet growth this month, with flights from airports in Switzerland up by 13%. Germany is an outlier, with business jet departures down 7% this month.

In contrast to strong growth in business jet activity in Europe, business jet flights in the rest of the world have seen some tapering over the last few weeks. Outside of the US and Europe, business jet departures in the last four weeks have fallen 7% year on year, falling 4% in Week 32 compared to W32 last year. Business jet flights out of the Middle East are trending down by 4% in the last four weeks. In Africa, business jet departures are down by 24% in week 32 YOY. From Asia and South America, business jet flights were down 8% and 5% retrospectively.

Richard Koe, WingX managing director, comments: “The importance of the leisure market in Europe is conspicuous this month as the Olympics sees a surge in high-end European tourists. The US market has had a weak start in August, also true of the main business jet destinations in Asia and Africa.”