Argus: October Was 2nd-busiest Month Ever for Bizav Flying

Business aviation flight activity last month soared 5.3% year over year (YOY) and 4.3% higher month over month, according to the latest TraqPak data from Argus International. Notably, this marks the second-highest month since January 2007, when Argus began tracking business aircraft utilization. Europe also posted its sixth positive month in a row, up 3.1%.

“October did not disappoint from a flight activity standpoint,” said Argus senior v-p, software Travis Kuhn. “This is traditionally the busiest month on the calendar, and this October we recorded the second-busiest month on record. Demand continues to look strong across the board, with the exception of large-cabin Part 135 flying…Some of the strongest days on the calendar year for Part 135 activity will take place over the next eight weeks, and it will be a good barometer to see if our overall growth levels can continue to go higher.”

In North America, October activity was 4.3% higher YOY. Fractionals had the highest results at 10.3%, followed by Part 135 at 4.9%, and Part 91 up 1.4%. The Southern region logged the largest monthly increase, up 23.8% due to the shift in activity as the Northern Hemisphere winter approaches.

For October, aircraft categories that led the growth include midsize jets at 6.2%, small-cabin 5.5%, and large jets 2.1%. For the year, fractional small-cabin jets climbed 14.6% and fractional midsize jets were up 8.9%.

Europe’s recent growth remains positive, and on a YOY basis, it was up 3.1%, reflecting a climb for midsize- and large-cabin jets—3.4% and 8.8%, respectively.

In Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America, the YOY gain was 11%. Turboprops climbed 10%, followed by small-cabin jets, 22.5%; midsize jets, 8.3%; and large-cabins, 8.2%.