November North American private jet flight activity drops 6.5% year-over-year

Argus Traqpak reports November private jet flight activity fell 6.5% compared to 2021 but was still 17.3% ahead of 2019

After Argus Traqpak reported a 6.5% drop in private jet flight activity in November, is the glass half full? Or is the glass half empty?

Or, if you want to get philosophical, perhaps it’s worth quoting Paul Simon:

“You know, the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip slidin’ away”

Yet, it’s probably better to just ask Argus Traqpak Senior Vice President Travis Kuhn what he thinks.

Kuhn tells us, “Continued uncertainty in the market seems to be weighing on business jet activity when compared to the record levels in 2021. However, when we look at where we were three years ago, we’re still 15% better overall in the North American market and operating at a more sustainable level.”

Still, the numbers are the numbers, and they continue to go backward.

Overall, North American flight activity dropped 6.5% in November, and every category was down:

• Midsize Jets led the charge, down 8.3% compared to 2021
• Light Jets followed, down 7.7%
• Large Cabin Jets were off by 4.5%
• Turboprop flying fell 4.3%

And it wasn’t just Part 135, down 7.5% for the month, dragging down the numbers this time. Part 91 flying dipped by 7.3%.

Fractional was the bright spot, off only 0.9% compared to last year.

However, with fractional, only Midsize Jets (up 0.7%) and Turboprops (+ 1.0%) showed a gain.

Traqpak analysts estimate there will be a 1.4% decrease in overall North American flight activity year over year in December 2022.

That said, they also predicted a 1.4% decline for November.

For an industry that is still struggling to meet demand levels amid supply chain and labor challenges, since it’s the holiday season, it’s probably okay to believe, for now, the glass is half full.