U.S. Bizav Flying Falls for Second Consecutive Month

Business aviation activity in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean fell for the second consecutive month after Part 135 flying declined for the 10th month in a row, according to the Argus TraqPaq report released this morning. Flight activity in these regions was down 0.6 percent year-over-year, missing Argus’s projection for 0.2 percent growth in March. It is similarly calling for 0.2 percent growth this month.

If there is a silver lining in the report, it’s the fact that fractional flying climbed 6.3 percent last month, while Part 91 activity eked out a 0.1 percent gain. Meanwhile, Part 135 activity marked a 3.9 percent loss last month, similar to the 4.2 percent year-over-year decline in this segment in February.

By aircraft segment, midsize jets recorded the only increase in activity during the month, up 1.7 percent, thanks solely to a 12.3 percent rise in fractional flying in this segment. Light jet activity led the declines, falling 2.7 percent year-over-year, followed by large-cabin jets (-2.4 percent) and turboprops (-0.3 percent).

The Southeast once again lead all U.S. regions in flight activity, accounting for a quarter (67,550) of the approximately 265,400 business aircraft departures recorded in North America last month, according to the Argus data. Next largest was the Southwestern-Pacific region, which logged 38,622 departures in March.