ARGUS TRAQPak reports a 7.5% monthly gain in September

According to the September analysis of private jet flight activity by ARGUS TRAQPak, each private aviation category recorded year-over-year increases.

ARGUS initially forecasted a 2.1% increase in North American private jet flight activity.

However, in September, private jet flight activity in North America increased by approximately 7.5% compared to the same period last year.

ARGUS analysts expect private jet flight activity growth to continue into October, specifically forecasting an increase of about 0.7%.

‘Far Exceeding Expectations’

ARGUS Senior Vice President Travis Kuhn spoke to Private Jet Card Comparisons about the success of the private aviation industry in September.

Kuhn stated,

‘The activity levels in September far exceeded expectations, which has been the trend lately. We’re seeing strong demand essentially across the board, made evident by the fact that this is the strongest non-COVID percentage gain on record, dating back to January 2015.’

Compared to last September, North American private jet activity increased by about 7.5%.

In terms of aircraft type, the largest increase was reported by small cabin private jets, which recorded a year-over-year increase of approximately 8.3%.

Midsize private jets also recorded an 8.2% increase, while turboprops also saw a rise of 7.0%.

The smallest gain was reported by large cabin jets, recording a 5.6% increase.

Fractional Operators

Compared to September 2024, fractional operators reported a staggering 13.2% increase in private jet flight activity.

The largest gains were reported by the large cabin jet segment, which saw a 20.7% jump compared to last year.

Small cabin jets also remained strong, increasing by about 19.3%.

Turboprops and midsize cabin jets also saw gains. Each recorded year-over-year increase was 7.7% and 10.1%, respectively.

Part 135 Operators

In terms of Part 135 activity, Kuhn stated that ARGUS analysts recognized a small amount of weakness in the large cabin segment.

Overall, large cabin flight activity in the Part 135 category decreased by about 0.4%.

Even so, the rest of the Part 135 segment remained strong, recording a 7.3% year-over-year increase.

This was mainly due to a 9.5% year-over-year increase in turboprop activity, an 8.2% increase in small cabin jet activity, and an 8.2% increase in midsize cabin jet flights.

Part 91 Activity

While ARGUS has reported slow gains and struggles for Part 91 operators over the years, Kuhn mentioned that the new gains will make Part 91 a segment to watch.

The overall Part 91 segment reported a 5.4% year-over-year increase.

The most significant gains were reported by large cabin jets and midsize cabin jets, which each saw an increase of 7.3% and 6.1%, respectively.

However, turboprops also saw a 5.1% year-over-year increase, while small cabin jets saw the smallest gain, recording a 4.4% jump.