ACE 2026 - September 8th
The bimonthly news publication for aviation professionals.
Business jet activity rose 3% year-on-year in Week 48 (24–30 November) 2025, with 70,779 global departures according to WingX. Over the past four weeks (Weeks 45–48), there were nearly 310,000 flights, 7% ahead of the same period in 2024. This rolling trend exceeded the year-to-date increase of 5%.
November saw Africa lead with 25% more business jet departures than in 2024, while Europe posted just 1% growth. Fractional operators were responsible for 20% of all November flights, rising 12% over the previous year. NetJets and Flexjet handled 83% of that traffic and posted a combined 14% growth.
Light and super midsize jets were key, with the Phenom 300 and Challenger 300/350 families making up 15% of all business jet activity and each rising 15% year-on-year.
North America matched the global trend with 3% more activity in Week 48. California saw 6% growth, followed by Texas (5%) and Florida (4%). The region’s rolling four-week trend was 8% up year-on-year, with Florida leading at 10%.
European activity fell 3% year-on-year in Week 48, with only the UK recording 1% growth. France declined 2%, Switzerland 3%, Germany 5% and Italy 6%. The region’s four-week trend is now just 1% up year-on-year.
Rest of World traffic accounted for 10% of global business jet departures in Week 48, with Africa up 32%, the Middle East up 12%, and Asia and South America both up 10%. Lagos and Johannesburg drove Africa’s growth with 65% or more year-on-year increases. Larger jets made up two thirds of African business jet traffic.
In the Middle East, Flexjet has gained approval to operate domestic flights in Saudi Arabia, joining VistaJet. Since its approval in August, VistaJet has flown 28 domestic flights in the Kingdom, mostly between Riyadh and Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia has recorded nearly 11,000 business jet departures year-to-date, up 23% year-on-year, matching Brazil’s growth and exceeding the United States (5%), India (7%) and the UAE (12%). Aloula Aviation has completed more than 200 flights in 2025, mainly between Dammam and Riyadh.
The Saudi charter sector saw a 155% rise in flight hours from a fleet that has not grown, highlighting a supply gap that operators like Flexjet and VistaJet are helping to fill.
