Early 2022 business jet demand is surging especially in the U.S. and Europe. [File Photo: Adobe Stock]
Key Takeaways:
Global demand for business jet flights has started 2022 very strongly, with worldwide flights up 38 percent compared to the first 10 days of January 2020 (pre-pandemic).
The surge is particularly pronounced in the U.S. (up 31 percent, with Florida up 45 percent) and Europe (up 53 percent from 2021, including a significant rebound for Geneva ski season traffic).
This robust growth in business aviation contrasts with the struggles of scheduled passenger airlines, which are being more negatively affected by the current Omicron variant.
However, the recovery is not uniform, with some regions like Canada, Australia, the UAE, and China not experiencing the same level of rebound or even seeing declines.
Global demand for business jet flights has started the year with very strong numbers, according to an industry report released Thursday.
WingX’s weekly business aviation survey said bizjets flew 26 percent more flights worldwide in the first 10 days of this year than they did in the same period in 2020, before the pandemic.
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Thom is a former senior editor for FLYING. Previously, his freelance reporting appeared in aviation industry magazines. Thom also spent three decades as a TV and digital journalist at CNN’s bureaus in Washington and Atlanta, eventually specializing in aviation. He has reported from air shows in Oshkosh, Farnborough and Paris. Follow Thom on Twitter @thompatterson.
