Since the US election on November 5, 2024, business jet activity in the United States has experienced a notable downturn.

Data from WingX's weekly Global Market Tracker shows that during week 46 of 2024 (spanning November 11 to November 17), a total of 72,358 business jet departures took place globally. This figure marks a decline of 5% compared to the same period in 2023, resulting in a four-week trend that is only 1% ahead of last year. Total global business jet activity for 2024 remains 1% below 2023, with week 46 witnessing a 7% decrease in departures year-on-year.

This decline ends the promising streak of a previous four consecutive weeks of growth. During the twelve days following the election, US airports logged 93,823 business jet flights, a drop of 3% from the previous year, but 34,000 more than during the same period in 2020, during Covid restrictions and that year’s election. Regionally, Florida and New York have been exceptions to the broader US trend, showing an overall growth in business jet activity, while California has recorded a 6% decline so far in November. Los Angeles to Las Vegas has seen a particularly sharp drop-off with departures down 16% compared to last year. Intra-city travel within Los Angeles has also suffered, falling by 17%.

In Europe, the business jet landscape remains stronger, maintaining activity levels equal to week 46 of 2023, and achieving a four-week trend that is up by 2%. The UK has shown a 3% uptick in business jet activity compared to the same week last year, indicating some stability. However, France has seen activity in 2% decline compared to 2023, while Germany continues to experience a decline in activity compared to last year. Only Nice and Madrid have seen growth so far in 2024, while all other major European cities are in decline compared to 2023.

In the Middle East, business jet activity has remained stable in week 46 compared to last year, while Africa has experienced a year-on-year decline of 22%.

Richard Koe, Managing Director at WingX, says: “In contrast to surveyed industry sentiment, which is apparently buoyant following Trump's election triumph, business jet flight activity in the US has actually slackened in the last two weeks. Elsewhere in the world, big political gatherings in Baku and Rio attracted a relative local spike in business jet usage.”

Political events in the rest of world are indeed causing localised uplifts in business jet activity. The day before Rio de Janeiro hosted the G20 summit (17 November), 25 business jet arrivals were recorded across its Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International, Santos Dumont and Jacarepaguá airports. Elsewhere, the hosting of the COP29 climate conference in Baku has had a profound effect on business jet activity at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, which experienced a large spike in arrivals around the conference start date on 11 November, peaking at 40 recorded business jet arrivals.