Global bizjet demand got a double boost from Trump’s inauguration and the meeting of the World Economic Forum, well served from airports in the UK, France and Switzerland.
Global
So far this year (1st – 26th January), global business jet flights are 4% ahead of last year, 239,334 recorded bizjet departures. The global active bizjet fleet has grown 1% compared to last year, over 19,000 individual bizjets flying so far this year. In week 4 (January 20th – 26th), bizjet activity was 9% ahead of last year, largely due to inflated trends in the US related to Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
Chart 1: Global business jet departures
United States
In the United States, week 4 (20th – 26th January) saw a 12% rise in bizjet activity compared to last year, likely due to the hosting of President Trump’s inauguration ceremony in Washington DC. Just over 900 bizjet arrivals recorded into Washington DC airports during week 4, 32% more than week 4 in 2024. Owing to the inauguration ceremony, Washington DC entered the top 5 busiest US cities in week 4, every other week so far this year it lies outside the top 10.
Elsewhere, activity in Florida looked strong, bizjet departures 8% ahead of W4 last year. Activity is more subdued in California, departures up just 1% and in Texas up 6%. As January draws to a close, bizjet activity in the US is 6% ahead of comparable January last year, slightly ahead of the post-election trends of +5% (November 6th – January 26th).
So far this month, Ultra Long-range jets are flying 8% more than last year, the active fleet 2% higher than last year. Gulfstream’s latest certified model, the G700, had 26 active tails this month, most departures flown by aircraft management companies. Since the manufacturer started delivering from April 23rd 2024, the G700 has made over 1,200 departures, with 121 active tails in the United States.
Chart 2: Gulfstream G700 flight hours (23rd April 2024 – 26th January 2025), departures from United States
Europe
So far this year, bizjet activity in Europe is 1% ahead of last year, departures surpassing 28,000 from the 1st to 26th January. Activity in Europe in W4 was up 9%, most notably in Switzerland where bizjet departures rose 39% compared to W4 last year. Switzerland’s growth is likely attributed to the hosting of the 2025 World Economic Forum annual meeting.
Airports near Davos (LSMD, LSZH, LSZR & LSZS) saw a large influx of bizjet arrivals, 476 arrivals recorded during the WEF event (20th – 24th), two more than the event days in 2024. During the event days, most arrivals into WEF airports were between 30 minutes – 1 hour in duration, London the top origin city. WEF’s ability to attract a global audience was evident in the 103 bizjet arrivals that came from outside of Europe, 47 of which were from the United States; more than the previous 3-weeks combined. Across the event week, a third of activity was served by Aircraft Management programmes, Corporate Flight Department arrivals during the event days were more than double compared to the previous week. Despite the obvious positive impact on bizjet activity from hosting WEF, bizjet activity in Switzerland remains 1% behind last year so far this month.
Elsewhere in Europe in week 4 the ‘WEF effect’ was felt by France, activity in W4 19% ahead of last year, connections from EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg to Zurich up by 400%. Bizjet activity in the UK rose 10% compared to W4 last year, notable rises in connections to Zurich for WEF as well as Milan, likely for the final days of the Milan fashion week being held between 17th – 21st January.
Chart 3: Business jet arrivals into LSMD, LSZH, LSZR & LSZS airports during Week 4 2025, highlight surge of traffic due to WEF 2025 meeting.
Rest of World
Activity outside of the United States and Europe in week 4 was in slight decline (-0.3%) compared to last year. Bizjet activity in South America was 8% ahead of last year, Africa fell 8%, Asia fell 6%. Positive signs in the Middle East, bizjet departures 2% ahead of last year, ending a 3-week decline streak in 2025. Despite the regional increases in the Middle east, top markets United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in decline compared to last year.
So far this year activity in the Middle East is 2% behind last year, strong growth in Israel, Kuwait and Oman. Mexico is the busiest ROW market this month, although activity dipping behind last year, Brazil and Bahamas ahead of last year.
Chart 4: Business jet departures by country in ROW region, January 2025
