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Global Business Aviation Starts 2024 with Year-on-Year Drop in Activity

Increased first-week traffic in Europe and the Middle East is offset by declines elsewhere.

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Gulfstream and Dassault Falcon private jets at Dallas Love Field [Credit: iStock]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Global business jet activity in the first week of 2024 declined by 3% compared to the same period in 2023, despite an initial post-holiday uptick.
  • North American business jet traffic fell 5% year-on-year, though the U.S. market experienced a notable spike in demand on January 2, with Florida leading as the busiest state.
  • European business jet activity increased by 3% year-on-year, driven by strong growth in Spain which offset declines in the UK and France.
  • The Middle East saw a 2% rise in business jet activity, while Asia experienced a 2% decline, and Israel's traffic dropped significantly by 32%.
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While 2024 began with an uptick for global business aviation following the holiday period, results for the first week of the year declined compared with the same period in 2023, according to WingX’s weekly Global Market Tracker report.

Business jet traffic rose by 9 percent from the last week of 2023 to the first week of 2024, however, the recent results were 3 percent lower than in the same period a year ago. Turboprop traffic in the first week was slightly lower than a year earlier—about 0.1 percent. Combined Part 135 and Part 91 operations were 2 percent lower than a year ago. Meanwhile, scheduled airline traffic rose 12 percent from the first week of 2023, while cargo traffic decreased by 9 percent.

Jonathan Welsh

Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4

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