WingX: European Bizav Flights Continue To Climb

Business aviation departures in Europe logged a modest 1 percent year-over-year increase last month, with the 3 percent uptick in business jet activity offset by a slump in piston traffic, according to data released late last week by WingX Advance. The region’s year-to-date growth trend of 2.3 percent is trailing last year´s rate of more than 3 percent, however.

WingX called the largest business aviation markets “mixed,” with France down by 2 percent, the UK and Switzerland flat, and departures from Italy falling by 4 percent, while activity in Spain rose 7 percent year-to-date and Germany is up by 4 percent. Among smaller markets, activity fell 5 percent in Austria, 3 percent in Russia, and 15 percent in Turkey, but Greece had another month of “robust growth,” climbing 15 percent last month and 20 percent year-to-date.

While activity within Europe rose 2 percent, departures outside of the region were down by 4 percent to the U.S. and by more than 20 percent to the Middle East, though flights from Europe to Asia increased by 9 percent.

Paris airports had less than half the activity of London last month, but much stronger growth, mainly from Le Bourget and Toussus Le Noble, which were up by 13 percent.