The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (6–22 February) generated a notable surge in business jet activity across northern Italy, according to the WingX Weekly Global Market Tracker, with a total of 884 departures recorded during the Olympic period, representing a nearly 40% increase compared to the typical average number of flights for any given comparable timeframe. This placed the 2026 Winter Games ahead of the surge seen in Paris and Tokyo though still below the exceptional Beijing 2022 surge of 50%.

On a year-to-date basis, global business jet traffic has reached 536,000 flights, 3.8% ahead of the same point in 2025 and slightly faster than the 3.4% growth over 2024 reported through 22 February in 2025. Over the 1–22 February period, global flights were up 5.6% year on year.

North America continues to anchor overall growth, with 382,000 flights marking a 3.4% YTD increase and a 5.6% rise in February month to date. Europe is tracking at 3.0% YTD with more than 64,000 sectors flown. South America is up 9.5% YTD with 50,000 departures and 11.6% in the first three weeks of February, while Africa at 6,200 flights is holding firm at 6.5% YTD.

Nick Koscinski, WingX analyst, says: “The Milan-Cortina Olympics delivered a clear and measurable boost to Italian business jet traffic, continuing a pattern we see at almost every marquee sporting event. With global flights up 3.8% year-to-date and high-profile events consistently elevating traffic levels, 2026 is meeting our expectations of modest single-digit growth.”