North American private jet flight hours jump 2.1% YoY in May

Private jet flight activity in North America recorded another year-over-year increase in May.

According to ARGUS TRAQPak, private jet flight hours in North America increased by 2.1% compared to 2025.

Last month, analysts correctly predicted that May would record a 2.1% year-over-year increase, which it did.

The ARGUS analysts expect growth to continue into June, forecasting a 1.0% increase.

Travis Kuhn, Senior Vice President at ARGUS, spoke with Private Jet Card Comparisons. 

Kuhn stated:

‘May remains in positive territory, but our growth rate is slowing. All signs point to a slower growth rate in June, but we do expect it to be a positive month for activity. The two biggest areas for concern are Part 91 and Large cabin activity.’

Compared to last May, private jets in North America recorded approximately 2.1% more flights.

Private Jet Growth

In terms of specific aircraft classes, the turboprop segment saw the largest year-over-year increase, recording a 4.8% jump from last May.

The small cabin jet segment also fared well, recording a 3.6% jump. Additionally, the midsize market saw a 1.8% year-over-year increase.

However, the large-cabin jet market continued to struggle, recording a 5.2% year-over-year decline. This was the only major segment that did not increase in activity compared to last May.

Additionally, private jet flight activity reported a month-over-month increase from April, with about 2.1% more flights in May.

Even so, May saw approximately 281 fewer flights per day, though the month remained positive due to an extra day.

Compared to April, fractional flight operations saw a 2.2% monthly increase, while Part 135 operations saw a slight jump of 0.8%.

However, Part 91 activity recorded a slight decrease of about 0.8%.

Several regions in North America saw monthly increases, with the largest jump in New England, where it rose 28.2%.

However, most Southern regions of the US saw a decrease as activity began to shift north for the summer months. Additionally, the Caribbean region saw a 13.% decrease month-over-month.

Fractional Operators

Overall, the fractional business segment saw the largest year-over-year increase in May. The industry saw a 12.5% jump compared to May 2025.

The large cabin jet market saw the largest increase, recording a 18.4% year-over-year jump.

The midsize jet segment also saw a double-digit increase, recording 13.4% more flights than last May.

Additionally, the small-cabin jet market and the turboprop segment each saw significant increases. These markets each recorded increases of 9.8% and 8.3%, respectively.

Part 135 Operators

The Part 135 market in North America also saw a year-over-year increase, recording about 3.6% more flights than in May 2025.

The small cabin jet market saw the biggest increase, recording 6.2% more flights than last year.

Additionally, both the turboprop and midsize cabin jet markets saw increases.

The turboprop segment saw a 5.5% jump, and the midsize cabin segment saw a 4.1% jump.

However, the large cabin market struggled with Part 135 operations, recording a 5.2% decrease.

This was the only segment that saw a year-over-year decline.

Part 91 Activity

Like April, Part 91 operations in North America continued to struggle. Overall, the segment recorded a 3.6% decline compared to last May.

The turboprop segment was the only Part 91 segment to see a year-over-year increase, recording 4.1% more flights than in May 2022.

The small cabin market remained relatively flat, although it still saw 0.6% fewer flights than last year.

However, several segments recorded double-digit decreases from last May.

The midsize market saw the largest decline, down 14.6%. Additionally, the large-cabin jet market saw a 10.9% year-over-year decline.