December reported a 2.1% year-over-year gain in private jet flight activity throughout North America, with January set to beat 2025.
December 2025 closed out the calendar year on a strong note for private jet flight activity in North America.
And analysts from ARGUS TRAQPak expect a positive start for 2026.
According to the analysts, private jet flight hours in North America increased by 2.1% year over year.
This was a slight step back from the year-over-year jump that was recorded in November 2025, which saw one of the largest year-over-year increases ever recorded by ARGUS TRAQPak.
Rightfully so, this was a slight month-over-month decrease, as December saw 3.0% fewer private jet flights than November.
ARGUS analysts expect this positive year-over-year trend to continue into 2026.
Currently, analysts estimate that January will hold a 3.8% year-over-year increase in North American private jet flight hours.
ARGUS Senior Vice President Travis Kuhn spoke with Private Jet Card Comparisons about the continued growth of the private aviation industry through 2025.
Kuhn stated:
‘December finished right around where we expected, which is a welcome result. Ultimately, we closed out a year of strong growth in North America and around the world. As we turn the page into 2026, the same areas will remain in focus for us: Large cabin aircraft, Part 91 activity, and the significant growth trajectory of the Fractional market.’
Overall, December 2025 recorded about 2.1% more flights than December 2024, showing continued growth that aligned with the rest of the year.
According to ARGUS TRAQPak, 2025 finished the year with positive gains in eleven of the twelve months.
February was the only month in 2025 to post a year-over-year decline, which may be attributed to the extra day in 2024, which was a leap year.
The midsize business jet market saw the largest gain in December, recording a 4.4% year-over-year jump.
Small cabin jets also saw another increase of about 2.7%, while the turboprop market posted a slightly smaller gain of just 0.8%.
The large cabin private jet market posted the only year-over-year decline, with 1.2% fewer flights than in December 2023.
Compared to November 2024, December saw a slight decline, with a 3.0% decrease in private jet flights. Part 91 activity posted a 5.5% decrease, fractional operations declined by about 2.5%, and Part 135 operations decreased by only 0.4%.
Most regions in the United States recorded month-over-month decreases, with the New England region posting the largest drop of 10.7%.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest saw a significant jump in private jet activity compared to November 2025, recording 18.7% more flights.
The fractional business segment continued to grow, posting the largest year-over-year increase of any segment.
Fractional operations recorded 8.4% more flights in December 2025 compared to the previous year.
Small cabin jets saw the largest increase, with December seeing nearly 10% more fractional operations compared to December 2024.
Midsize cabin jets also recorded a significant year-over-year increase of about 8.8%, while turboprops posted a 7.4% increase.
Large cabin jets saw the smallest increase, recording just 3.0% more flights year-over-year.
Part 135 operations recorded a slightly smaller year-over-year increase, posting just 1.6% more flights than last year, according to ARGUS TRAQPak.
The turboprop segment saw the largest jump in Part 135 operations, with a 4.1% increase.
Small cabin and midsize business jets also recorded slight increases in Part 135 operations. These segments each recorded increases of 1.6% and 3.3%, respectively.
However, the large-cabin market slowed significantly in December, with the segment posting a 5.6% decline compared to the previous year.
Part 91 operations struggled in December, posting a year-over-year decline of about 0.2%.
Turboprops saw the largest decline in Part 91 operations, posting a 2.4% drop.
However, other segments saw slight increases, leveling off Part 91 operations.
Small cabin and midsize jets each saw an increase of just under 1.0%, while large cabin jets saw an increase of about 2.0%.
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