Buisness aviation news
Global bizjet activity was flat in week 2, dropping back on the pace of growth in Week 1. Notably there was strong bizjet activity out of airports in the Los Angeles metro area due to the Wildfires catastrophe. There has also been strong growth in flights to/from Palm Beach, as Trump and his team prepare to take office.
US bizjet demand continues to trend upwards, as it has done since the US elections in November. Leisure activity clearly spiked in the holiday season, with US-Caribbean flight hours up 25% YOY. In other markets, European activity has dipped in the last week, but is up over the last few weeks, bizjet activity from the Middle East is on the up, whereas trends in Africa and South America are down as we come into 2025. We would expect the positive business sentiment in the core US market to move global activity several points up in Q1 2025 compared to last year.
Post-Covid demand for business aviation looks strong, notably in the United States where activity is well ahead of 2019. December ended ahead of last year, marking a strong end to the year. Fractional operators have made large gains compared to the last 5 years, contrasting Corporate Flight Department activity. Appetite for business aviation in Europe remains resilient, although small gains compared to pre-pandemic 2019.
Texas, California and Florida are seeing trends of close to 10% in terms of year-on-year growth in bizjet departures in the last 4 weeks, testament to solid improvements in consumer and business confidence in the wake of Trump´s win. More than usual numbers of US tourists have flown to Europe in the last week, notably more to the UK and Italy than to France and Germany. The Middle East saw a strong bump in YOY bizjet flights coinciding with the MEBAA show in Dubai.
The post-election bounce continues, with week 47 seeing the largest YOY increase in flight activity so far this year, closing almost all the deficit accumulated earlier this year. California has seen an especially strong recovery. In Europe, demand is sagging in leading markets, with Italy the year-long exception. Bizjet demand in South America continues to thrive.
The Thanksgiving holiday saw a record surge in bizjet traffic, notably in Florida. Activity in the US since the election is positive year on year, bucking the overall decline in bizjet demand in this year compared to last year. European bizjet demand is fragile, particularly in the German corporate market. In other regions, Brazil continues to see strong growth this year.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) published the Third Quarter 2024 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report. The general aviation aircraft manufacturing industry’s results through the third quarter of 2024 show an increase in the overall value of aircraft shipments and increased shipments of piston airplanes, business jets and turbine helicopters, with turboprops and piston helicopters shipments in line with the first nine months of 2023.
Business jet activity is trending up by 7% since the US election, and follows a strong October, compared to 2023. This may suggest a post-election bounce, especially as Trump is expected to lower taxes and may generally be favourable towards the sector.
In contrast to surveyed industry sentiment, which is apparently buoyant following Trump’s election triumph, bizjet flight activity in the US has actually slackened in the last two weeks. Elsewhere in the world, big political gatherings in Baku and Rio attracted a relative local spike in bizjet usage.
With just a few days passed since the US election result, the effect on business jet utilisation is not obvious. In fact activity has calmed, followed several weeks where there were more flights than last year. In Europe, the political and economic strife in Germany is reflected in substantial cutbacks in bizav demand. Destabilisation and conflict in the Middle East has equally seen a big step back in flight activity.
Week 44 capped a topsy turvy 4 weeks in the key US market, with much of October flat-to-negative, but strong gains this week, notably in Florida, also in the US election Swing States, suggesting that the elections may have directly boosted utilisation. The largest European markets are on a stagnant trajectory, with Italy the obvious exception. This week also saw a big increase in year-on-year bizjet traffic in Saudi Arabia.
Business jet fleets have seen a boost in demand in the second half of the October, notably in the US and notably in California. NFL Games have been a draw, as have the GPs in Mexico and Texas. US presidential campaigning may also have spurred activity. The European market was also head-above-water, in contrast to a further slide in activity in the Middle East.
The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) has issued its Third Quarter 2024 Preowned Aircraft Market Report, highlighting a rise in optimism among members as the quarter concluded. The report was released today here in Las Vegas at the National Business Aviation Association’s 2024 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).
Global bizjet activity was blunted by Hurricane Milton last week, principally in the busiest US State Florida. European bizjet activity is slipping back, particularly in France. Bizjet activity in the Middle East is also wilting under the weight of regional conflict.
Business jet demand is navigating turbulent waters, with the approach of the US elections, outgoing and incoming hurricanes across the South-East of the country, economic stagnation in Europe and escalating conflicts in the Middle East. The combined headwinds are clearly widening the declines in comparison to 2023, which itself was a reset from the post-Covid high points in 2022.
Bizjet demand picked up in the last week, having been notably weaker in the first half of September. The trend in the key US market was still slightly negative, with the hurricane impact in Florida offsetting the growth in bizjet activity in Texas. In Europe, UK bizjet activity was up but demand has stagnated in Central and Southern Europe.
Business jet demand is ebbing fast this month, particularly in the small and midsize fleets. In the US, the weakest spot is California. In Europe, the post Olympics hangover is showing up in much lower flight activity, notably in Germany where flight activity is trending down by % this month.
Aero Asset released its 2024 Half Year Heli Market Trends Twin-Engine edition. Aero Asset leverages proprietary market intelligence to deliver a comprehensive analysis of the market, allowing readers to navigate the shifting dynamics of the preowned twin-engine helicopter market.
Bizjet flight activity is slowing fast in the US this month. The declines clearly derive from waning demand in the smaller end of the market, particularly older entry level and midsize jets. Business jet activity in California has actually fallen behind 2019 levels. The European market hasn’t seen the same relapse, but still weak in Central Europe, and much closer than the US to 2019 levels.
Bizjet demand has wobbled in September, significantly behind September last year, the slowdown mainly in the US, with bizjet cycles in California down 15% YOY. In Europe, both France and Germany saw big drops in demand this month.