Still Stuck in Rut, Euro Bizav Flying Falls 3.4%

Business aviation activity in Europe slumped last month, falling 3.4 percent year-over-year, to 67,209 departures, according to flight-tracking service WingX Advance’s latest monthly Business Aviation Monitor. The overall number of flight hours slid by 5 percent, reflecting a 6-percent decline in private activity and a 4-percent drop in charter activity. Year-to-date, European flying is down 0.6 percent.

The declines last month were mainly in Southern Europe, WingX said, with “sizeable decreases” in Italy and Spain. Central European activity also was weak, with fewer flights from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “Heavy declines” were also experienced across Scandinavia, it added.

But flight activity in Europe’s leading market—France—saw “robust” gains last month, thanks to domestic trips and propeller activity. Activity was also up in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Greece, WingX noted.

Business jet flights, which accounted for 59 percent of all business aviation activity last month in Europe, retreated by 5 percent year-over-year. The largest pull-backs in this sector came in Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Russia and Turkey. In fact, business jet flights in Russia and Turkey plummeted by more than 25 percent last month from a year ago, according to data from WingX. In addition, private jet flights from Europe to the CIS have fallen by one-third year-to-date.