Private jet flight activity continues at record pace in May

Argus TraqPak recorded an 11% gain in North American private aviation activity in May compared to 2021

May private jet flight activity in North America was up 11% compared to 2021 setting another record, according to the latest analysis by Argus TraqPak.

The results by operational category continued to show positive momentum with all three categories reporting yearly gains for the period.

Part 91 activity continues to remain the strongest segment, up 14.8% from May 2021 as it continues to be led by strong gains in large cabin aircraft.

Fractional activity followed with an 11.5% gain. Part 135 activity rounded out the positive month with a 6.7% increase.

The aircraft categories continue to follow the same pattern. The large cabin segment still holds the top spot, up 20.3% from May 2021.

Midsize jets followed with a gain of 13.8%, while light jet activity increased 8.7% year over year.

The turboprop market rounded out the gains with an increase of 5.9% from last May.

The largest individual gain occurred in the Part 91 large cabin segment, which recorded year over year growth of 23.8%.

May business aviation flight activity was essentially flat from April, posting a monthly increase of 0.1%.

Results by operational category were mixed for the month. Fractional activity posted the largest monthly increase, up 3.6% from April.

Part 91 activity rose 1.0% while Part 135 activity decreased 2.2% for the month.

Argus analysts estimate there will be a 5.3% increase in overall North American flight activity in in June.

Argus Senior Vice President Travis Kuhn notes, “May flight activity continued to remain strong on a global scale, however we are seeing expected signs of slowing growth. As we move into the summer months and compare to activity that was very strong in 2021 we expect yearly gains to normalize into single digit growth rates through the remainder of the year.”