JIQ Market Barometer: Global Business Jet Departures Up 4.2% to About 4 Million as OEM Backlog Reaches $61.6 Billion
Why It MattersGrowth is concentrated in fractional programs and large-cabin jets while corporate flight departments contract, showing demand shifting toward managed access and the biggest aircraft as the pre-owned market cools.
What happened
Business jet departures rose 4.2% worldwide over the twelve months to September 2026, reaching 4.01 million, according to the October 2026 (Edition 8) JIQ Market Barometer from JETNET and WINGX. North America accounted for 71.6% of activity. Africa (+11.8%) and Latin America (+4.9%) posted the fastest trailing-twelve-month growth, while the Middle East was down 7.9% on the year, though its monthly decline narrowed from more than 20% early in 2026 to -4.3% in September.
Fractional ownership grew 9.9% on a trailing-twelve-month basis, while Corporate Flight Departments shrank 8.6% and Branded Charter slipped 1.5%. Average global utilization this year is 20.7 hours per tail per month, 10.8% above 2019, with more than 20,500 aircraft active monthly. NetJets holds 13.4% of global activity (up 9.8%) and Flexjet grew 11.9%, while Wheels Up fell 28.8%.
The four major OEMs hold a combined backlog of $61.6 billion, with Gulfstream and Bombardier holding almost 75% of it; Bombardier's backlog is up 35.4% year-over-year. Full-year 2025 deliveries reached a post-GFC high of 814 units, above the 2019 peak of 804, and the 2026 baseline forecast is 830. Fractional providers took 18% of new deliveries so far in 2026, versus 10% before the pandemic.
Pre-owned transactions totaled 2,806 on a trailing-twelve-month basis, up just 1.8%, after growth cooled from above 15% in December. Large Jets rose 14.6% to 818 transactions. Average days on market was roughly 95. For-sale inventory was about 1,740 aircraft, or 6.6% of the operational fleet, and aircraft aged 16 years or older make up 74% of listings. The global installed fleet is roughly 25,700 aircraft, and scrappage is running around 1% of the fleet.
On the macro side, the IMF's October World Economic Outlook raised its 2026 global GDP forecast to 3.1% from 3.0%. The UHNWI population exceeded 684,000 in 2025, and US corporate profits hit a record $4.3 trillion in Q2 2026. Fuel prices have turned higher again after easing in spring and summer, and University of Michigan consumer sentiment fell to 48 in September.
Industry impact & what to watch
The split between fractional growth and corporate department shrinkage points to a structural shift in how business aviation capacity is consumed. Fractional providers now absorb 18% of new deliveries against 10% before the pandemic, and that purchasing power concentrates demand on the aircraft types those programs favor. For an OEM, a backlog of this size held mostly by two manufacturers means production slots, not demand, set the pace of deliveries.
The pre-owned side tells a cooler story. Transactions grew only 1.8% after running above 15% growth in December, days on market sit near 95, and listings skew old, with 74% of for-sale aircraft aged 16 years or older. In that kind of market, newer and larger aircraft move while older inventory lingers, which is consistent with Large Jets climbing 14.6% while the overall count barely moved.
The next Barometer edition will show whether the Middle East's narrowing monthly decline turns into growth, and whether higher fuel prices and weak consumer sentiment start to register in departures. The 2026 delivery forecast of 830 units is the figure against which the year's output will be judged.
