We’re still up 5% for the year, which is solid, even if Week 43 shows the market cooling down a bit after that strong run we had in September and October. Europe had a really strong week, with the UK, France, and Italy all growing more than 10%, and South America’s 39% jump is significant. Lisa Atherton’s timing is pretty good stepping into the Textron CEO role, and Cessna’s having a great year with over a million flights, while we see the Excel and Latitude platforms really driving that performance.
Executive Summary
In Week 43 (20 – 26 October), global bizjet activity reached 78,671 departures, up 3% versus Week 43 of 2024. On a rolling last four-week basis (W40 – W43), global business jets have accumulated more than 315,000 departures, a 5% increase compared to the same period last year. This four-week trend of 5% is in line with the global year-to-date (1 Jan – 26 Oct) trend of 5%. This marks the first week in 3 months the four-week trend has not outperformed the year-to-date trend, indicating a potential deceleration in growth a month ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday period.
Chart 1: Global business jet departures by week in last 12 months
Regional Performance Analysis
North America: Region posts muted 1% growth
The North American market underperformed the global growth trend with only 1% more activity in W43 year-on-year, compared to the global trend of 3%. The U.S. consistently accounts for 95%+ of these North America flights, acting as the main growth engine for the region. Among key states, Texas was the lone market to grow last week, posting 3% more flights than in W43 2024, while Florida was flat, and California realized a 7% contraction compared to last year. North America’s rolling four-week trend now sits at 5% ahead of the comparable period in 2024. Among the key states, Florida and Texas lead the four-week trend at 6%, while California sits at a muted 2%.
Europe: UK, France, and Italy surge with double-digit gains
The European market outperformed its North American counterpart, with a 5% expansion in Week 43 2025 vs W43 2024. On a country level, the UK, France, and Italy all posted double-digit gains, at 12%, 12%, and 11% respectively. Switzerland also realized solid gains with 8% more activity last week, while Germany declined 1%. Over the last four weeks, European activity has totaled almost 44,000 flights, reflecting modest 3% growth. The stand-out growth in Europe came from ultra long-range jet activity, up by more than 20% year on year. Notably, flights from NY to London were up 50%.
Rest of World: South America leads with 39% expansion
The Rest of World region continues to outperform the mature markets of North America and Europe. Week 43 saw 14% growth from ROW regions, on a combined basis. On a sub-region basis, South America led growth at a whopping 39%, followed by Africa’s notable 25%. Top South American corridors last week were between Monterrey – Mexico City, and São Paulo – Rio De Janeiro, with both corridors realizing 35%+ growth. The Middle East was relatively flat, only expanding 1%, while Asia was the only declining region at -1%.
Current Event Analysis
Atherton to lead Textron as Cessna flies at near record levels Textron CEO Scott Donnelly has announced his departure, with Lisa Atherton set to take the helm after 18 years with the company. Atherton assumes leadership as Textron’s aviation business operates at historically strong levels, with Cessna business jets recording over one million flights year-to-date through 26 October.
Cessna’s fleet performance demonstrates robust demand, with departures up 2% versus last year and 29% above 2019 pre-pandemic levels. The Super Light Citation Excel/XLS platform leads activity with nearly 200,000 flights, growing 3% year-over-year, while the Super Midsize Citation Latitude follows closely with almost 175,000 flights, a 7% increase. Together, these two aircraft types account for 12% of all global business jet departures in 2025.
Fractional operators represent a significant customer base for Cessna, accounting for 22% of the manufacturer’s active fleet’s activity this year, underscoring the brand’s strong positioning in the shared ownership market and amongst fleet operators as Atherton prepares to guide the company’s next chapter.