According to WingX's weekly Global Market Tracker, business jet demand was up in the most recent week, Week 19, from 5-11 May, compared to Week 19 in 2024. The last four-week trend in business jet activity is two per cent up while the year-to-date trend is three per cent up. Overall, the resurgence in business jet activity since November 2024 is clearly tapering in recent weeks.

Business jet flights from airports in North America were up two per cent compared to Week 19 last year, effectively an additional 994 flights. For May so far (through 12th), regional business jet flights are up by 0.5 per cent, with the dominant US market up by 0.4 per cent, a much weaker trend compared to US trends over the last four weeks, which is up 2.5 per cent. This month is seeing a big fall in Cayman, Bermuda and Dominican Republic.

Week 19 saw an erosion in activity out of Florida, with outbound flights down by one per cent, which is significantly slower than the six per cent growth over the last four weeks. In contrast, the other principal activity hubs, California and Texas, saw a Week 19 increase in flight activity. In terms of activity by OEM fleets, there is a tangible variance in trends, with Embraer aircraft flying 15 per cent more than in May 2024. Gulfstream flight activity is up seven per cent year on year, whereas the OEMs representing the lighter business jet fleets, namely Hawker, Learjet and Cessna, are seeing significant drops in demand.

Picking out some specific growth spots, WingX notes that the business airport pair in the US this month is Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport-Hollywood Burbank, with business jet flights up 74 per cent compared to May last year and flights since January up 39 per cent compared to last year. JetSuiteX is responsible for the growth in the route this year, with its VIP shuttle service flying 61 per cent more flights than a comparable last year. JSX is the second busiest operator out of KLAS airport this year, with the top operator being NetJets. US-wide, shuttle operators like JSX account for just two per cent of business jet departures this year, although their activity is up 14 per cent year on year. NetJets activity is up 11 per cent across the US so far this year, and its flights out of Florida are up by 11 per cent compared to last year.

European business jet activity fell two per cent compared to Week 19 last year, with the last four-week trend now at -5 per cent. Most major markets were down in Week 19, but France and Switzerland were particularly weak with departures falling eight per cent compared to Week 19 last year. In Germany, business jet sectors dropped six per cent last week, an improvement at least on the last four-week trend which stands at -19 per cent. The month of May, however, has so far been relatively strong, with flights up two per cent and both Turkey and Sweden seeing double-digit activity growth, mainly in domestic traffic. Year to date, business jet departures from Europe are down by one per cent compared to last year and just two per cent up compared to pre-pandemic Jan-May 2019. Over that period, two of the three core markets, namely UK and France, have seen modest growth of about five per cent. The third core market, Germany, has seen flight activity decline 15 per cent. Compared to last year, business jet flights in Germany are down by seven per cent. Airports in the metro areas of Berlin and Stuttgart have seen the largest declines.

Outside of North America and Europe, activity in Week 19 grew just one per cent compared to Week 19 last year. Strong growth in Africa and the Middle East, of 27 per cent and seven per cent respectively, was largely offset by eight per cent declines in Asia and three per cent declines in South America. Month-to-date, through 13 May, business jet activity is down by 0.3 per cent, with varying trends, notably business jet departures from India falling by 22 per cent.

Richard Koe, WingX managing director, comments: “Flight activity in May clearly shows that the Trump bump back in November has dissipated, although there are no signs in the US market of a major relapse in demand, which would reflect the deteriorating economic outlook since Trump's tariffs. The one country where there is a clear indication of tariff impact is Germany, where demand is flagging significantly the last few weeks.”