Private Jet Flights Rebound to ~80,000 in Week 37, but Year-to-Date Growth Slips to 3.4%

Business-jet flight activity reached approximately 80,000 total departures in week 37, which ended September 13, 2026, an increase of roughly 8% from the approximately 73,000 departures recorded the previous week. Despite the weekly rebound, activity was virtually flat compared with the same week in 2025, and the industry has been running in place for 11 consecutive weeks. Since week 26, there have been four weeks of year-over-year increases, two flat weeks, and five weeks behind 2025 levels. The four-week rolling total stands at approximately 309,092 departures, broadly in line with the same period last year, while year-to-date growth now sits at 3.4% versus the equivalent period in 2025 — about 0.2 percentage points below where the 2025-vs-2024 year-to-date trend stood at this point last year.

WingX analyst Nick Koscinski said global bizjet activity "was flat last week, with the year-to-date figure holding steady at +3.4%, although this year-to-date trend is now slightly behind where we were at this point last year," adding that "the emerging markets of South America and Africa continue to see significant growth, which has become a recurring trend in recent weeks."

North America recorded just over 56,000 total departures, with the United States accounting for 55,459, about 1% below the same week in 2025 but up 11% week over week, driven largely by Florida and Texas, each posting double-digit weekly increases. California saw an approximately 8% year-over-year decline, largely offset by a 10% year-over-year rise in Florida. Year-to-date, light jets remain North America's most-flown category, up 3.2% year over year, while the super midsize segment is approaching 500,000 total departures year-to-date and growing at 7.5% year over year; only the entry-level jet and super light jet categories show year-to-date declines.

Europe recorded nearly 14,000 total departures in week 37, up approximately 5% year over year and 3% week over week, with France driving most of the weekly gain at 12% while Italy declined 10%. The UK, France, and Switzerland each posted positive year-over-year results. Year-to-date, the light jet remains Europe's most popular category but is down 3.8%, while the super light jet, super midsize jet, and ultra-long-range jet segments have all grown. Outside those two regions, the Middle East and Asia each saw slight year-over-year declines, with the Middle East decline attributed to ongoing regional conflict, while Africa and South America both posted double-digit year-over-year gains.

Globally, Part 135 and Part 91K operations exceeded 42,000 departures in week 37, up approximately 2% year over year and roughly 10% week over week. The United States recorded about 31,000 such flights, a 4% year-over-year increase and a 14% week-over-week gain, with Florida up 16% and Texas up 24% week over week, both with double-digit year-over-year improvements. Europe recorded just over 9,000 fractional and charter flights, broadly flat week over week, though the UK, Germany, France, and Italy each struggled, with Italy down approximately 11%. The Middle East recorded 23% fewer such flights than the same week in 2025 along with a 7% week-over-week decline, Africa and Asia were relatively flat year over year, and South America — the smallest regional market for charter and fractional operations — posted the largest year-over-year jump at approximately 44%.

The pattern across eleven weeks of essentially flat year-over-year activity, punctuated by a single strong week-over-week bounce, shows how thin the margin has become between growth and stagnation in mature bizjet markets. North America and Europe are each posting single-digit weekly swings that net out close to zero over a rolling four-week window, which means the 3.4% year-to-date figure is being carried less by broad-based demand than by pockets of strength in specific states, aircraft categories and regions.

That unevenness is the more durable signal. Super midsize jets nearing 500,000 year-to-date departures in North America and growing at 7.5% year over year, against entry-level and super light jet declines, show operators and buyers shifting toward larger-cabin capability even as the smallest categories soften. The same divergence shows up geographically: South America's charter and fractional segment jumping roughly 44% year over year, even as it remains the smallest such regional market, and Africa's double-digit gains, point to demand growth concentrating in markets that started from a low base rather than in the established U.S. and European core.

What determines whether 2026 closes above or below the current 3.4% pace is whether Florida and Texas keep offsetting California's year-over-year decline, and whether the Middle East's conflict-linked softness in both bizjet and charter activity persists into the fourth quarter. Koscinski's own framing — that the year-to-date trend is now running slightly behind last year's comparable pace — is the figure worth tracking week to week rather than any single weekly swing.