According to the latest Argus Business Aircraft Activity report, released today, business aircraft operations in the U.S., Caribbean and Canada soared 6.5 percent year-over-year last month, shattering the firm’s forecast for a 3.9 percent increase. It expects this surge to continue, predicting a 5.3 percent rise this month.
Based on Argus’s TraqPak IFR arrival and departure data, large-cabin jet flying led the pack with a 9.3 percent gain from a year ago; the midsize-jet category recorded a 9.2 percent increase. Meanwhile, turboprop and light jet activity rose 5.3 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively.
By operator type, Part 135 activity was once again at the forefront, climbing 13.3 percent from a year ago. Fractional activity saw growth of 6.9 percent, while Part 91 flying—which has been anemic over the past 12 months—logged a 2.1 percent increase.
Several double-digit gains were seen in individual categories, though mainly in the charter category. Part 135 midsize and large-cabin jet flying recorded 20.3 percent and 17.5 percent gains, respectively, from a year ago, while Part 135 turboprop activity rose 10.3 percent. Fractional large-cabin jet activity climbed by 11.7 percent. Continuing a recent trend, only Part 91 light jets posted a loss, falling 0.2 percent from last May.
Argus’s TraqPak data provides “flight-number-specific aircraft arrival and departure information on all IFR flights in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.”