2021 Private Jet Flights by State keep Florida, Texas, California at the top

By Doug Gollan, February 20, 2022

Hawaii recorded the largest increase of any state – 96% more private jet flights during 2021 as number one market Florida grew by 47%, according to Argus TraqPak

U.S. states recorded gains of 21%-to-96% in private jet flights during 2021, according to Argus TraqPak, with the five busiest states each holding their top positions compared to 2020.

Hawaii saw the most significant increase – 96% – enough to move it from the 44th to 41st.

Delaware dropped to the 50th spot despite a 21% gain, the smallest increase.

Florida, Texas, California account for 33% of all departures

At the top of the rankings, Florida, Texas, and California accounted for nearly 33% of private aviation departures.

2021 Private Aviation Data and Statistics

2021’s 30 Biggest Charter/Fractional Private Jet Companies Ranked (Full Year) 
25 Largest Part 135 Private Jet Charter Companies for 2021 ranked
2021’s Biggest Part 91k Fractional Private Jet Operators ranked
25 Busiest U.S. Private Jet Airports in 2021
Charter/Fractional Private Jet Market Share 2007-to-2021

Florida held serve as the busiest state for private jets, with a 47% gain. Its record 378,767 departures meant an average of 1,037 flights per day. The Sunshine State increased its share from 11.9% to 12.3% of U.S. activity.

Texas maintained its second spot with 41% growth, while California remained third with a 38% increase.

2021 Business Aviation Flights By State (departures)

2021 Rank – State – 2020 Rank20212020% Change% Share
1. Florida (1)          378,767          257,62547%12.3%
2. Texas (2)          305,086          216,32541%9.9%
3. California (3)          293,862          212,26738%9.5%
4. Colorado (4)          118,489             91,42530%3.8%
5. Georgia (5)          107,457             76,62840%3.5%
6. New York (7)          100,113             63,41558%3.2%
7. New Jersey (9)             93,260             56,59065%3.0%
8. North Carolina (6)             90,804             63,69943%2.9%
9. Arizona (8)             84,024             62,59034%2.7%
10. Tennessee (12)             77,375             50,07955%2.5%
11. Illinois (10)             77,307             53,97443%2.5%
12. Ohio (11)             73,132             50,93744%2.4%
13. Michigan (13)             61,528             44,53238%2.0%
14. Pennsylvania (15)             61,391             41,16849%2.0%
15. South Carolina (14)             60,537             41,69745%2.0%
16. Massachusetts (16)             58,721             38,81551%1.9%
17. Nevada (17)             56,363             36,61054%1.8%
18. Missouri (18)             55,469             33,93763%1.8%
19. Alabama (19)             46,043             32,50542%1.5%
20. Indiana (22)             45,078             30,61747%1.5%
21. Wisconsin (24)             44,513             29,59250%1.4%
22. Minnesota (20)             43,171             31,43937%1.4%
23. Virginia (23)             42,237             30,60938%1.4%
24. Washington (25)             40,823             29,39339%1.3%
25. Kansas (21)             40,699             30,69433%1.3%
26. Utah (26)             39,943             28,83539%1.3%
27. Louisiana (27)             38,053             27,69037%1.2%
28. Arkansas (31)             36,481             25,93541%1.2%
29. Oklahoma (32)             35,348             24,68043%1.1%
30. New Mexico (28)             35,210             27,47828%1.1%
31. Montana (29)             34,905             26,98229%1.1%
32. Oregon (30)             32,932             26,00227%1.1%
33. Alaska (33)             31,508             24,67428%1.0%
34. Idaho (34)             31,190             22,91836%1.0%
35. Nebraska (35)             30,773             22,09039%1.0%
36. South Dakota (37)             27,170             20,39233%0.9%
37. Maryland (42)             26,687             15,72270%0.9%
38. Kentucky (39)             26,004             17,53548%0.8%
39. Wyoming (36)             25,453             20,83822%0.8%
40. Iowa (40)             24,760             17,42442%0.8%
41. Hawaii (44)             24,585             12,55796%0.8%
42. Mississippi (41)             23,970             17,14540%0.8%
43. DC – IAD/DCA (38)             23,162             19,04022%0.7%
44. North Dakota (43)             15,761             12,65925%0.5%
45. Connecticut (45)             15,000             11,30233%0.5%
46. Maine (46)             13,798                9,09452%0.4%
47. New Hampshire (47)             11,859                8,40541%0.4%
48. West Virginia (48)             11,233                8,37934%0.4%
49. Rhode Island (50)                6,147                4,05352%0.2%
50. Delaware (49)                5,410                4,48621%0.2%
51. Vermont (51)                5,096                3,21958%0.2%
Source: Argus TraqPak

While Colorado and Georgia kept their fourth and fifth slots, New York moved from seventh to sixth with a 58% increase in departures.

New Jersey leaped two spots to seventh on a 65% gain. In 2019, it ranked fourth before dropping to ninth in 2020.

2021 U.S. Private Jet flight activity up 41%

Overall flight activity for 2021 was up 40.9% when compared to 2020. It increased by 7.2% compared to 2019 and 8.2% compared to 2018.

Argus is forecasting another record year for 2022. It expects private jet flights will increase by 9.5% this year compared to 2021, with the most significant increases in the first half of 2022.

Editor’s note: Market share information has been updated to correct a calculation error

Related Articles

Cayman Cookout
NetJets Praetor 500

Find the perfect solution for your private aviation needs

Save Time. Buy Confidently.

Receive an apples-to-apples comparison of programs that meet your needs from more than 500 jet card and fractional options covering 65 points of differentiation and over 40,000 data points.