Argus: Bizav Flights Continue Upward Trend

Business aviation activity in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean increased 2.2 percent in May, continuing the general upward trend in 2018, according to the latest TraqPak report from aviation researcher Argus. The 2.2 percent increase follows a 2.6 percent overall year-over-year increase recorded in the past couple of months.

In May, Part 135 showed the strongest increase, up 2.8 percent from the same month in 2017. Part 91 activity also increased in May, up 2.1 percent. Fractional activity, meanwhile, inched up 0.7 percent. This improvement came in spite of a precipitous drop in large-cabin fractional flights, which were down 21.9 percent in the month, Argus reported.

All categories of aircraft in North American/Caribbean regions flew more in May, led by a 2.9 percent gain in light-jet flights. Midsize jets nearly matched that improvement with a 2.8 percent increase year over year. Large jet flight activity, meanwhile, was up 1.2 percent and turboprops 1.5 percent, Argus reported.

In the U.S., the Southeast region by far was home to the largest number of departures in May (60,958). The Western region, including California, Nevada, and Arizona, accounted for the next highest departure tally at 34,676.

Argus believes the general improvements in flying will continue, projecting a 1.9 percent increase in overall flight activity this month.