Business jet demand has tapered a little in the last couple of weeks but is still trending above 2024, with activity in Texas and Florida hubs exceeding 5%, and fractional operations continuing to grow close to 10% this year. Europe had a strong week, but April trends indicate a flat market.
Global
Global business jet departures in Week 18 2025 were up 3% year-on-year, in line with the full month of April, during which 314,522 bizjet flights were operated, just shy of the record April activity of 2022. So far this year, large cabin business jet flights are up by 3.8%, with Small and Midsize jet activity up 2.7% and Turboprop activity up by 1%.
Chart 1: Global bizjet departures, April 2022-2025
North America
Overall, bizjet activity in Week 18 across North America was up 1% compared to Week 18 last year, the US matching this trend. For Part 135 & 91K activity, bizjet flights were down 1% in Week 18. This is a slowdown from the 3% trends through Q1 2025. The trends for April were still quite positive, with Florida outbound traffic up 6%, representing more than 15% of all US activity last month. Texas was next busiest in April, and notably maintained 6% growth in Week 18.
Fractional fleets flew almost a quarter of April’s bizjet departures, these operators’ 8% ahead of last year in terms of departures and 10% ahead of last year in terms of hours. In contrast, Corporate Fleets flew 10% fewer hours compared to last April, Aircraft management fleets flying 6% fewer hours than last April. Most aircraft types in April flew more hours than last year, although notable declines in Entry Level jet and Bizliner activity, flying hours down 7% and 2% compared to last April respectively.
Impact from tariffs are still difficult to discern, with bizjet connections from the US to Mexico up 9% compared to April last year, flights to Canada falling 1%, Canada to United States flights up 1%. Transatlantic US-UK flights rose 6% compared to April 2024.
Chart 2: Business Jet departures by US State, April 2025.
The Miami Grand Prix drew bizjets to airports in the Miami area, 1314 recorded arrivals into Miami metro airports last week (28th April – 4th May), 2% higher than the week of last year’s Grand Prix event, although below the highs of the 2022 event. In Omaha, Nebraska, the annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting drew an influx of business jets, chart 4 highlighting the rise in activity during the event.
Chart 3: Business jet arrivals into Miami airports during F1 Grand Prix week (Monday – Sunday)
Chart 4: Business jet activity out of Omaha metro area airports over the last four weeks.
Europe
European bizjet activity rebounded 6% compared to Week 18 last year, in contrast to the region’s weak start to the year, 0.9% fewer flights than comparative Jan-April 2024. Bizjet flights out of UK, France and Switzerland were substantially up this week, 4%, 6% and 10% respectively. The overall growth was offset by a 5% relapse in bizjet demand in Germany, particularly acute in the charter market, down 11% in Week 18.
In April, just under 40,000 bizjet sectors were flown from European airports, -0.1% fewer than last year. Despite the decrease in departures, flight hours were 2% ahead of last April. Light jets flew a quarter of flights out of European airports in April, although flight hours fell 1% compared to last year. Super Midsize flight hours increased 9% year-on-year, in contrast Very Light and Entry Level jets fell 11% and 35% year-on-year.
Chart 5: Business jet departures by European country, April 2025.
Rest of World
Outside of North America and Europe, activity in Week 18 grew 12% compared to Week 18 last year. In the Middle East, departures were up 13%, up 17% in Africa, up 20% in South America, much cooler trends in Asia, departures up just 1% compared to Week 18 last year. Activity out of India in April dropped 2% compared to last year, the overall tend being dampened by a fall in domestic bizjet flights, international connections to the UAE and Thailand ahead of last year.