A 9% YOY increase in Europe couldn’t offset a drop in the U.S., as global private jet activity declined by 2% compared to last year.
During week 17 of 2026, private jets recorded nearly 77,000 total departures worldwide.
This was a drop compared to the same week last year, when approximately 2% more flights were recorded.
Additionally, this was a slight drop from last week, recording around 1% fewer flights in total.
A 9% year-over-year increase in Europe still couldn’t offset a drop in U.S. activity.
So far, in 2026, on a year-over-year basis, the scorecard shows:
According to WingX, private jets recorded 76,856 departures worldwide.
This represents a slight step back from last week, about 2% fewer flights. Last week, WingX analysts reported one of the largest year-over-year increases.
As a result, private jets recorded 1% fewer flights than the previous week.
Even so, over the last four weeks, private jets have recorded 307,828 total flights. This is a 4% increase compared to the same time period last year.
WingX Analyst Nick Koscinski spoke to Private Jet Card Comparisons about the slight regression in global private jet flights.
Koscinski stated,
‘This week we saw softer activity globally, with North America pulling back and the Middle East still stuck well below pre-conflict levels. Year-to-date, the pre-owned transaction data is starting to show some weakness, with monthly figures turning negative in February and March after a strong 2025. Looking ahead, we are turning our attention to the World Cup and are anticipating strong surges in bizjet activity across all sixteen host cities.’
According to WingX analysts, private jets have recorded about 4.6% more flights year-to-date than at the same time in 2025.
This represents a slight regression from the 4.7% increase that was on track earlier this month.
North America accounts for the largest share of private jet travel worldwide.
Overall, the region recorded over 55,000 flights over the past week.
Even so, this represents a 2% year-over-year drop and a 2% week-over-week drop.
However, this summer, the FIFA World Cup is set to take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
WingX analysts predict that this will be one of the most significant events in private aviation history.
Historically, WingX has reported a surge factor across the past three World Cups. For example, at the group state, host city airports report a 1.5x surge factor in total flights.
This rises to 1.9x for quarterfinal matches, 5.2x for semifinal matches, and 12.9x for the final match.
Because of this, the 16 host cities of the 2026 FIFA World Cup are expected to see a significant increase in private aviation demand during the tournament, which takes place in June and July.
The U.S. recorded the most flights, with over 53,000.
Major markets, such as Florida, California, and Texas, recorded slight drops compared to last year.
| Market | Week 17 | %Change vs. prior week | %Change vs W17 2025 | 52-week high | Week | 52-week low | Week | Last 4 Weeks (Flights) | %Change vs YOY |
| Global | 76,856 | -1% | -2% | 83,361 | 2025-42 | 64,150 | 2026-01 | 307,828 | 4% |
| North America | 55,300 | -2% | -2% | 61,722 | 2025-42 | 43,464 | 2025-27 | 224,071 | 5% |
| USA | 53,770 | -2% | -1% | 59,939 | 2025-42 | 41,967 | 2025-27 | 218,190 | 6% |
| Florida | 7,871 | -5% | -9% | 10,123 | 2026-08 | 4,381 | 2025-33 | 34,694 | 6% |
| California | 5,336 | -2% | -3% | 6,086 | 2026-07 | 3,905 | 2025-27 | 21,092 | 4% |
| Texas | 5,596 | -5% | 0% | 6,706 | 2025-47 | 4,036 | 2025-27 | 22,580 | 4% |
| Europe | 10,522 | 6% | 9% | 16,231 | 2025-28 | 6,574 | 2026-01 | 38,773 | 2% |
| UK | 1,467 | 7% | 0% | 2,290 | 2025-28 | 934 | 2026-01 | 5,292 | -3% |
| Germany | 1,322 | -4% | 28% | 1,692 | 2025-22 | 541 | 2026-01 | 4,676 | -1% |
| France | 1,518 | 9% | 3% | 2,900 | 2025-28 | 1,073 | 2026-01 | 5,867 | 2% |
| Switzerland | 707 | -3% | 24% | 1,082 | 2026-04 | 582 | 2025-48 | 2,765 | 10% |
| Italy | 1,296 | 14% | 36% | 2,560 | 2025-26 | 571 | 2026-01 | 4,441 | 9% |
| Middle East | 1,103 | -1% | -31% | 1,850 | 2025-20 | 755 | 2026-11 | 3,945 | -35% |
| Africa | 853 | -1% | -16% | 1,060 | 2025-48 | 611 | 2025-39 | 3,472 | -4% |
| Asia | 2,371 | 5% | 4% | 2,780 | 2025-49 | 1,865 | 2025-19 | 9,348 | 0% |
| South America | 2,640 | -6% | 5% | 3,080 | 2025-51 | 1,724 | 2026-01 | 10,697 | 12% |
Source: WingX for Private Jet Card Comparisons. Includes Jets and VIP Airliners.
Europe, on the other hand, recorded one of its best weeks of the year. The region saw 10,522 total departures over week 17.
This was a significant year-over-year increase of about 9%.
This was largely due to double-digit jumps from several countries, including Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.
Additionally, this was a 6% week-over-week jump, largely driven by increases in Italy, France, and the UK.
Additionally, the Middle East continued to struggle with private jet flights.
According to WingX, the region recorded just over 1,100 flights.
This was a 31% year-over-year decrease, in line with the trend so far this year.
Around the world, Part 91K and Part 135 operations recorded 39,745 flights.
This was a slight increase of about 1% compared to week 17 of last year.
The U.S. saw the majority of these flights, recording over 30,000 total fractional and charter flights.
This was a 3% year-over-year jump, though it was a slight drop from the industry’s success last week.
This increase was largely led by Texas, which saw 11% more flights year-over-year.
| Market (Part 91K & Part 135) | Week 17 | %Change vs. prior week | %Change vs W17 2025 | 52-week high | Week | 52-week low | Week | Last 4 Weeks (Flights) | %Change vs YOY |
| Global | 39,745 | -1% | 1% | 43,901 | 2025-42 | 34,328 | 2026-03 | 161,840 | 7% |
| North America | 30,785 | -2% | 2% | 34,574 | 2025-42 | 24,876 | 2025-27 | 126,643 | 11% |
| USA | 30,237 | -2% | 3% | 33,862 | 2025-42 | 24,193 | 2025-27 | 124,381 | 11% |
| Florida | 4,845 | -4% | -5% | 6,186 | 2026-12 | 2,422 | 2025-33 | 21,582 | 12% |
| California | 3,388 | -4% | -2% | 4,093 | 2026-07 | 2,643 | 2025-27 | 13,761 | 6% |
| Texas | 2,715 | -4% | 11% | 3,118 | 2025-47 | 1,895 | 2025-27 | 10,877 | 11% |
| Europe | 6,883 | 5% | 2% | 11,694 | 2025-28 | 4,802 | 2026-02 | 25,995 | 0% |
| UK | 944 | 4% | -9% | 1,636 | 2025-28 | 728 | 2026-01 | 3,583 | -6% |
| Germany | 760 | -11% | 12% | 1,125 | 2025-22 | 397 | 2026-01 | 2,813 | 0% |
| France | 1,010 | 12% | 0% | 2,175 | 2025-28 | 698 | 2026-02 | 3,871 | 0% |
| Switzerland | 500 | -6% | 14% | 748 | 2026-07 | 416 | 2025-48 | 2,042 | 9% |
| Italy | 924 | 13% | 38% | 1,917 | 2025-27 | 432 | 2026-01 | 3,173 | 7% |
| Middle East | 435 | 2% | -43% | 1,051 | 2025-35 | 344 | 2026-11 | 1,585 | -49% |
| Africa | 231 | -12% | -5% | 280 | 2025-48 | 142 | 2026-09 | 994 | 4% |
| Asia | 273 | 15% | -8% | 383 | 2025-48 | 186 | 2026-06 | 1,142 | -17% |
| South America | 56 | -33% | 8% | 83 | 2026-09 | 30 | 2025-42 | 241 | 32% |
Source: WingX for Private Jet Card Comparisons. Includes Jets and VIP Airliners.
Europe saw another successful week for Part 91K and Part 135 operations, with nearly 7,000 total flights.
This was a 5% week-over-week increase and a 2% year-over-year increase.
Countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Italy each saw double-digit increases in fractional and charter flights compared to week 17 of last year.
Additionally, the Middle East recorded one of its worst weeks yet, flying only 435 total fractional and charter flights, a 43% drop compared to last year.
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