Global Business Jet Departures Fall 6.0% in Week 45 as US Midterm Election Week Weighs on Activity, WINGX Reports
Why It MattersThe drop appears calendar-driven rather than structural: US election weeks have historically run well below the October baseline, while year-to-date activity remains ahead and regional growth is uneven.
Global business jet activity fell 6.0% year-on-year in Week 45 (2–8 November), with just over 76,300 departures against 81,238 in the same week last year, according to the WINGX Global Market Tracker. The decline coincided with the US midterm elections on 3 November; last year's comparison week had no federal election. Over the last four weeks activity is down 2.2%, while the year-to-date trend remains 2.8% ahead at almost 3.47 million departures.
North America fell 6.4% and Europe 3.1%. Central America was the weakest sub-region at −24.0%, while South America (+11.2%) and Africa (+10.5%) were the strongest. North America took 4.69 points off global growth, almost four-fifths of the total decline, and the United States alone accounted for 4.51 points, with departures down 6.4%. Mexico (−25.3%) was the next-largest drag, followed by India (−26.1%), Germany (−12.2%), Canada (−8.9%), the UAE (−31.9%) and Saudi Arabia (−43.4%). Venezuela (+91.2%), Brazil (+5.2%), Nigeria (+95.2%) and the United Kingdom (+6.7%) each added just over a tenth of a point or more to growth.
WINGX compared US business jet departures in the week of the November election date with the average of the three weeks before Halloween week for every year since 2008. In election years the week averaged 6.5% below that October baseline, and every federal election week since 2016 has been between 6.6% and 12.3% lower. In non-election years the same week averaged −1.7%. This year's US reading of −7.4% sits within the election-year range, while last year's comparison week was only 0.3% below its baseline. Week 45 was the weakest week of 2026 so far.
In North America, departures fell to just over 55,500; the US held 97.0% of the region and 70.6% of global activity. California (−11.9%), New York (−12.9%), Tennessee (−11.1%) and Illinois (−10.6%) fell further than Florida (−5.3%) and Texas (−5.6%), while Indiana (+23.7%) and Mississippi (+21.2%) bucked the trend. In Europe, departures fell to just under 9,200 and are 1.0% ahead year to date; Germany fell 12.2%, France 7.5% and Austria 19.2%. Paris Le Bourget remained Europe's busiest business jet airport with 337 departures, 21.6% below last year.
Mexico departures fell 25.3% to around 1,730 and are down 19.3% year to date; domestic departures fell 39.0% while international departures were almost flat (−1.3%). The number of operators flying domestically fell from 313 to 251, while NetJets (+35) and Flexjet (+26) grew. Toluca handled 352 departures (−26.5%).
On the fleet side, 13,464 business jets flew at least once in Week 45, 52.2% of JETNET's in-service fleet of 25,775 and 1.8% fewer than a year earlier. Each active jet flew 5.7 departures (−4.3%) and 9.5 flight hours (−3.5%). JETNET data shows 1,771 jets for sale, 6.9% of the fleet, with 60 new listings during the week, down from 67 in Week 44. WINGX expects US activity to move back toward its October trend in Week 46, as last year's comparison week fell during the final days of the 43-day US government shutdown.
