After a tepid 0.3% year-over-year increase in private jet flight activity last month, ARGUS forecasts a 0.1% drop in September.
So far this year, every month has reported a year-over-year increase, and August is no different.
Last month, ARGUS TRAQPak analysts predicted a 3.5% year-over-year increase in private jet flight activity in August.
However, the year-over-year increase was just 0.3%.
ARGUS expects private jet flight activity in North America to decrease slightly next month.
Analysts predict a 0.1% decrease in September, making it the first negative year-over-year result for 2026.
Travis Kuhn, Senior Vice President at ARGUS, spoke with Private Jet Card Comparisons about recent industry trends.
Kuhn stated:
‘August is normally a transition month on the calendar where summer leisure flying cools with back-to-school, and we saw that this year. Overall activity was positive, which is a good indicator that the market is still healthy. We do forecast a decline in September in North America, but we initially forecasted that during our annual report in January, which, more than anything, means that the market has remained relatively stable throughout 2026.’
Overall, private jets in North America recorded an approximate 0.3% year-over-year increase.
The major categories in the private aviation industry had mixed reports over the past month.
The turboprop segment saw the largest year-over-year jump in August, recording 3.3% more flights.
The small-cabin jet market also saw a year-over-year increase, with a 2.9% jump.
However, midsize private jets struggled.
The segment saw 1.9% fewer flights compared to last August.
Even so, the large-cabin market saw the largest year-over-year decrease, with 6.2% fewer flights than last year.
The Part 91 segment saw the largest year-over-year decrease, with 2.9% fewer flights.
Part 135 activity was up 0.1%. August 2026 Private Jet Flight Activity
Fractionals continued to stand out with a 7.9% gain compared to 2025 for August.
The fractional industry saw the largest year-over-year jump in North America.
Overall, fractional operations saw 7.9% more flights than last August.
The large cabin jet segment saw the largest jump, reporting 14.9% more flights.
Both the small cabin and midsize segments also increased year over year. Each segment reported a 9.8% and 7.3% jump.
However, the turboprop segment was the only segment to decline. The market fell 3.3% year over year.
Part 135 operations in North America remained relatively flat year over year. According to ARGUS TRAQPak, Part 135 operations increased by just 0.1%.
The turboprop segment saw the largest year-over-year jump, reporting 2.4% more flights than last August.
The small cabin jet market also saw a slight year-over-year increase of about 1.5%.
However, the midsize segment took a slight step back, reporting 1.9% fewer flights.
Even so, the large cabin jet market saw the largest year-over-year decrease, with 3.9% fewer flights than last August.
Part 91 operations in North America were the only major industry that saw a year-over-year decrease. According to ARGUS TRAQPak, the industry fell 2.9%.
Even so, the turboprop segment saw a large year-over-year increase of about 4.6%.
The small cabin jet market also remained positive, recording a 0.7% year-over-year jump.
However, both the midsize and large cabin jet markets fell by double digits year over year.
The midsize jet market saw a 13.4% drop, while the large cabin jet market recorded a 13.1% decline.
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