Global business jet movements rose by 5% in 2025, with WingX recording 3.9 million departures, the highest annual total to date. September posted standout year-on-year growth of 9%, helping to push Q3 into the lead as the busiest period.

North America led with 72% of global activity and modest growth of 1% in Week 1 of 2026. Europe remained sluggish in 2025, up only 1% year-on-year, though Week 1 brought a mild uptick of 3% overall, with Italy and Switzerland advancing but the UK and Germany in decline.

Emerging markets showed stronger momentum last year: Latin America was up 11%, Africa 15%, Asia 4% and the Middle East 7%. However, the start of 2026 revealed a sharp correction. Business jet departures from Latin America dropped 11% in Week 1, with similar double-digit declines in Asia. The Middle East fell 7%, while Africa alone recorded a 4% increase.

Venezuela’s traffic collapsed following the launch of a US military operation on 3 January. That week recorded just 44 departures, down 76% from the same week in 2025. On the day of President Maduro’s capture, there were no civil business jet flights from Venezuelan airports.

Rolling four-week data shows a 2% year-on-year increase globally. North America, Latin America and Africa remain ahead of the same period last year. California activity is flat, while Texas and Florida are each up 3% on a four-week basis.

Richard Koe, managing director at WingX, says: “The last 12 months have seen a significant increase in global business jet activity, with the upwards trend beginning in Q4 2024 and largely coinciding with the ascendancy of Trump's Administration. Increasing demand for business jets in the US in 2025 correlates to better-than-expected economic growth, strong equity markets and large-scale corporate investment in AI. In Europe, sluggish business jet demand correlates to the stagnant regional economies. Business jet demand in the Middle East has defined regional geopolitical instability and mirrors significant growth in high net worth population and specific investment in business aviation infrastructure in the Gulf States.”