August 2025 was our busiest August on record, with week 35 seeing the largest weekly jump year-to-date. Labor Day activity demonstrated the strength of leisure demand for business jet travel. Despite broader concerns for the economy, business jet activity trends appear to have accelerated rather than slow as the summer ends.
In Week 35 (25-31st August), global bizjet activity reached 73,733 departures, 1% fewer than prior week (Week 34 2025) but up 10% compared to Week 35 of 2024.
Looking at the rolling last 52 weeks, the most active week remains Week 26 2025, with a total of 78,808 bizjet departures, while the slowest week was Week 2 2025 recording 60,510 departures.
Global August business jets tallied a total of 327,745 flights, which was the busiest August in the past 6 years, +5% versus 2024, +3% vs 2022, and +30% vs 2019. Fractional operators NetJets and Flexjet were the busiest operators of the month, recording a total of 58,143 flights, which accounts for 18% of all global business jet flight activity.
Chart 1: Global business jet departures by week in the last 12 months.
Regional Performance Analysis
North America: Strong 11% growth outpaces global trend
The North American market surpassed the global market trend with 11% growth in Week 35 and is now up 6% in the last 4 weeks versus the comparable 2024 period. The key US market also saw 11% weekly growth, with Texas outperforming this trend at +12%, while Florida and California slightly underperformed with weekly growth trends of +9% and +7% respectively.
Europe: Moderate gains led by Switzerland
European business jet activity grew at a moderate pace in Week 35, expanding 5% versus Week 35 2024. The European region once again saw significant growth differences by country, with airports in Switzerland seeing the fastest growth at +13%, trailed behind by Italy and France at +11% and +10% respectively. Business jet traffic in Germany continued to wilt, declining 2%, while UK traffic was flat year-over-year.
Rest of the World: Second consecutive week with 14% growth
Business jet activity in regions outside Europe and North America saw a second consecutive week of 14% YOY growth. Africa led the way with the largest increase in bizjet activity, departures rising 26% above W35 last year. Asia and South America also saw strong growth trends, departures +15% and +17% respectively. Finally, the Middle East was the only ROW region that did not see exceptional growth last week, activity up only 1% compared to W35 2024.
Current Events Analysis
Labor Day weekend boosts resort destinations
The Labor Day holiday weekend generated increased business aviation activity to popular US resort destinations. While combined US and Canadian flight activity grew only 2% during the August 28-31 period compared to the same weekend last year, key leisure destinations experienced significant traffic surges. Nantucket Memorial Airport (KACK) recorded 173 business jet movements over the holiday weekend, up 12% from 2024 levels. Key West International Airport demonstrated even stronger growth with 42 flights – a 133% increase versus the comparable 2024 weekend. These destination-specific increases highlight how the traditional “end of summer” holiday continues to drive leisure travel patterns in the business aviation market.
Embraer milestone
Embraer recently achieved a significant manufacturing milestone, delivering its 2,000th business jet – a Praetor 500 to a corporate flight department in Melbourne, Florida. The achievement comes as flight activity data shows Embraer maintaining strong momentum, with the manufacturer’s fleet generating over 246,000 North American departures year-to-date through August, representing 17% growth compared to 2024.
Among the top five manufacturers operating in North America, Embraer demonstrates the highest growth compared to 2019, with North American activity up 74%, compared to Bombardier second strongest growth at 38%. This milestone reinforces Embraer’s position in the midsize jet market, with the Praetor family’s intercontinental range continuing to attract a wide range of customers.
Through August, the Embraer Legacy 450 / Praetor 500 platform has recorded 34,849 North American departures, compared to total midsize jet North American departures of 158,521, equating to a 22% market share. This market share has doubled since 2022 year-to-date, where the Legacy 450 / Praetor 500 platform only had 11% market share.
Chart 2: North America business jet activity amongst top OEMs through August 2025
