Business Aircraft Ops Slide Again in North America, Europe

Global business aircraft flight activity was mixed in 2024 with North American operations declining 1.8% year over year (YOY) in 2024 and Europe by 5.1% but most of the rest of the world strengthening, according to Argus International.

In North America, the market contractions in Part 135 have slowed and fractional operations continued to strengthen. However, Part 91 flying in the U.S. continues to lag, as do large-cabin operations, Argus reported in its 2024 Business Aviation Review. The strongest month in terms of business aircraft flight operations remained in October—and the weakest in January—for the past two years.

Fractional activity soared in 2024, growing 10.6%. This represented a YOY gain of 60,983 flights. Part 91 activity dipped by 4.8%, or 78,231 fewer flights, and Part 135 activity was down 3.5% with 45,249 fewer flights.

By aircraft category, midsize-cabin aircraft flew on 0.9% more flights YOY. However, that was the only category to see gains. Large-cabin operations experienced the largest drop at 6.9%, with turboprop operations sliding 2% and small cabins by 1.7%.

In Europe, the peak month for operations was July over the past two years. While flights declined, Argus noted that the last two months showed signs of stabilizing, which “is a positive sign heading into 2025.”

Middle East business aircraft flight activity plummeted by 20.1% in 2024 but improved throughout the year. The last quarter was up by 3.9% YOY, but the same period in 2023 had seen a 31.7% drop from a year earlier.

Meanwhile, South America experienced a 7.7% gain in business aviation operations in 2024, with Brazil accounting for 72.9% of activity. Business aviation operations in Central America were up 12%, while flight activity in Asia increased by 9.1%. The Oceania region—Australia and New Zealand—saw a 21.7% gain, with December marking a 41% improvement alone. Business aircraft operations in Africa edged up by 0.3% in 2024.

“Business aviation seems to have finally settled into its normal following all the peaks and valleys from Covid, as the last two years have been fairly consistent,” Argus noted. “We have certainly seen significant gains in fractional activity in the U.S., along with a growing market in Australia and a healthy market in Central America…We continue to see struggles in the European market, and the Middle East recorded sizeable declines in 2024.”