ARGUS expects 2% August gain after 3.7% July private jet surge

All categories of private jet operations – Part 91, 91K, and 135 saw year-over-year gains in July, according to the most recent analysis by ARGUS TRAQPak.

July private jet flying in North America was up 3.7% compared to last year.

ARGUS TRAQPak had expected a 1.8% increase in July.

The ARGUS TRAQPak analysts expect a 2.0% year-over-year increase for August.

Last month, fractional operators – Part 91k – again led the way with an 8.6% increase compared to 2024.

Part 91 – non-commercial flying – turned in 3.7% year-over-year growth.

Part 135 operators – jet card and on-demand charters – saw a 1.3% year-over-year bump.

ARGUS Senior Vice President Travis Kuhn tells Private Jet Card Comparisons, “July activity continues to show a very strong market for business aviation in North America and beyond.”

Kuhn adds, “Normally, we see a slowdown in traditional business jet travel in August, and we expect that again this year.”

He says, “We still expect activity to gain on a macro level, but when we correct for holiday impacts, we should see activity decline slightly in August.”

Looking ahead, Kuhn says, “Overall, we look well-positioned for a busy fall and holiday season.”

For fractional operators, large-cabin flying was up 17.9% compared to a year ago during July.

Small jets were up 13.9% while turboprop flying increased by 8.7%.

Midsize jets saw the smallest increase, still a robust 5% year-over-year gain.

For the charter operators, turboprops led the way with a 4.7% year-over-year increase, according to ARGUS TRAQPak.

While small jets (+1.0%) and Large cabin aircraft (+0.1%) eked out small gains, midsize activity was down 1.9%.

Small jets (+4.9%) and large jets (+4.6%) had the most significant gains for Part 91 operations.

Small jets also saw the strongest year-over-year growth overall, up 5.4% compared to July 2024.