Global business jet departures have dipped by 4% over the past four weeks compared with the same period last year, indicating “significantly worse” performance than the 2% year-to-date decline, according to WingX. Management fleets have held steady this year, still down 1.2%, but corporate and charter departures have dipped notably, by 12% and 9.7%, respectively, year-to-date, WingX further noted. Fractional departures, however, up 10%, are still helping to offset these declines.
“Business jet demand is navigating turbulent waters with the approach of the U.S. election, outgoing and incoming hurricanes across the Southeast [U.S.], economic stagnation in Europe, and escalating conflicts in the Middle East,” said WingX managing director Richard Koe. “The combined headwinds are clearly widening the declines in comparison to 2023, which itself was a reset from the post-Covid high points in 2022.”
For week 40 of the year—September 30 through October 6—traffic was down by 3% over week 39 globally, despite rebounding in activity following Hurricane Helene in the U.S. Two weeks ago, Florida saw a double-digit drop in activity, but that was back up by 25%, sequentially, in the most recent week. WingX expects to see those numbers subdued as the region grapples with Hurricane Milton.
WingX has found activity in the other top business aviation states “in the doldrums” in recent weeks, with operations in California down by 6% in the last four weeks. All categories of aircraft, except for the bizliner, were down in week 40, led by midsize jets (off by 14.9%) from a year ago.
In Europe, activity in week 40 dropped by 8% compared with week 39 and by 4% year over year (YOY). UK business jet operations are down 7% from a year ago and Germany by 5%. Switzerland's operations are up 4%.
The rest of the world saw sizable declines with business jet traffic in the Middle East down 22% YOY in week 40 and 15% over the past four weeks.