Global business aviation activity last month climbed by 29% versus the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, according to Jefferies Equity Research. The aircraft management segment saw the largest increase in activity, up 38% from 2019, followed by private flight departments, which saw a 36% boost.
Citing WingX data, the investment firm noted that fractional and charter segment use rose by 31% since July 2019. Flexjet and flyExclusive in particular have gained substantial market share, with their activity increasing by 158% and 154%, respectively, compared with July 2019. NetJets usage rose by 44% in that span, while Wheels Up recorded a 20% decline.
Though the Asia-Pacific region accounted for just 5% of global business aviation departures over the past year, it experienced an 83% rise from 2019 levels. North America, which claims the lion’s share of global activity, saw the next highest percentage increase—a 29% surge from the pre-Covid period.
Among the OEMs, Embraer aircraft registered the largest increase, with departures of its Phenom, Legacy, and Praetor twinjets up more than 50% since 2019, followed by Gulfstream (27%), Textron Aviation (26%), and Bombardier (25%). Jefferies analysts noted that overall flight hours have increased by 33% over 2019 totals, with the average flight time up by 3% to a per-flight average of 1.6 hours.