Charter broker New Flight Charters reported a 72.3 percent year-over-year increase in bookings in October and a 68.9 percent boost from October 2019, topping overall Part 135 industry gains of 33 percent between October 2020 and October 2021, as reported in Argus International’s TraqPak data.
Jackson, Wyoming-based New Flight attributes the increase to the availability of aircraft not limited by a defined fleet or specific operator. “When demand is outpacing supply, having wide availability of vetted quality aircraft and operators in every corner of the country for our clients is key,” said New Flight president Rick Colson.
During the period, charter demand at New Flight rose 171.4 percent for light jets and nearly 77 percent for midsize jets but just 10 percent for super-midsize and large jets. Demand for turboprops fell 40 percent from a year ago. Year-to-date, charter demand for light and midsize jets climbed 44 percent and 39.7 percent, respectively, while super-midsize and heavy jets increased 6.5 percent and turboprops declined 19.2 percent.