ARGUS TRAQPak reports October as second busiest month ever

According to ARGUS TRAQPak’s analysis, October was the second-busiest month ever recorded for North American private jet activity.

Last month, ARGUS forecasted an increase of 0.7% in North American private jet flight activity.

However, this past month, private jet activity continued to increase, building off the busiest month ever recorded in September. Specifically, North American private jet flight activity increased by about 4.3% compared to the same month last year.

Even so, ARGUS forecasts this steady increase will continue into November, as analysts estimate there will be a 2.9% increase in overall North American flight activity compared to November 2024.

‘Did Not Disappoint’

ARGUS Senior Vice President Travis Kuhn spoke to Private Jet Card Comparisons about the success of the private aviation industry over the past several months.

Kuhn stated,

‘October did not disappoint from a flight activity standpoint. This is traditionally the busiest month on the calendar, and this October we recorded the 2^nd busiest month on record. Demand continues to look strong across the board, with the exception of Large cabin Part 135 flying.’

Kuhn also mentioned that the upcoming Holiday season is home to some of the strongest days on the calendar year for Part 135 activity. These events will be a good estimate to see if overall growth can continue.

Overall, the month of October saw a year-over-year increase of approximately 4.3% in North American private jet activity. This was the second busiest month on record, trailing only October 2021.

In terms of aircraft type, the midsize business jet segment saw the largest increase, recording a total of 6.2% more flights than last year.

All other segments saw increases, including small cabin business jets reporting a 5.5% year-over-year increase and large cabin jets reporting a 2.1% year-over-year increase.

Turboprop flight activity also remained strong, recording 2.2% more flights in North America than in October last year.

Additionally, this was also a 7.4% month-over-month increase from September.

The Southeastern region of the US saw the largest increase, recording 23.8% more flights as activity shifted for winter. The Southern region also reported a 13% increase month-over-month, while the West Coast saw 11.6% more flights compared to September.

However, the Pacific Northwest saw 8.5% fewer private jet flights compared to September, while the New England region saw 10.7% fewer flights month-over-month.

Fractional Operators

Compared to October 2024, fractional operators recorded a staggering 10.3% increase in flights.

The largest jump in fractional operations was seen by the small cabin business jet market, which saw 14.6% more flights.

Additionally, midsize private jets and large cabin jets recorded significant year-over-year increases, each reporting 8.9% and 7.9% increases, respectively.

The turboprop segment of fractional operators in North America saw 8% more flights than in October last year.

Part 135 Operators

In the Part 135 segment, private jet flights increased by about 4.9% year-over-year.

Each aircraft type saw an increase in activity, except for the large cabin jet segment, which saw a slight decrease of about 0.7%.

Midsize business jets reported 7.9% more flights in Part 135 operations compared to October 2024.

Additionally, small cabin jets saw a 4.6% year-over-year increase, while turboprops saw a 5.0% year-over-year increase.

Part 91 Activity

The Part 91 business segment saw the smallest increase compared to last October, recording only 1.4% more flights.

However, only the turboprop segment saw a decrease in activity, reporting 0.2% fewer flights than the same period last year.

The large cabin jet segment saw a 2.9% year-over-year increase. Additionally, the midsize jet and the small cabin jet segments each saw an increase of 2.9% and 1.1%, respectively.