The US BizAv (Business Aviation) market has been booming since March 2021. This series of articles track the traffic trend of this market. We define the BizAv market as part-135 on-demand for-hire private flying by business jets or certain turboprop planes. The numbers in the following charts exclude part-91 private flights. If you are interested in all flights by business jets, or detailed flights by route and operator, please get in touch with us.
Figure 1: Year over Year Trend of the U.S. BizAv Market
Figure 1 illustrates that U.S. BizAv traffic in April 2023 consistently fell short of the previous year’s levels. The traffic trend remained relatively flat when juxtaposed against the previous year’s performance, but average daily flights have decreased 1.8% from the last month.
Figure 2: Comparison of the U.S. BizAv Flights This Month vs. Last Month
Figure 2 compares flight data between March 2023 and April 2023, highlighting an decrease in total flights and total flight hours by 5% and 7.93% respectively. This decrease can be attributed to both the one less day in April compared to March and decrease of daily flights and flight hours per flight. Flights decreased across all aircraft categories, except the Very Light Jet category, which witnessed an increase of 4.5%. The Large Jet category saw a 9.8% decrease, while other categories experienced percentage changes ranging from -0.7% to -7.8%.
Figure 3: Comparison of the U.S. BizAv Flights by the Top 25 Origin States (This Month vs. Last Month)
Between March and April 2023, most states in the US experienced an increase in the number of flights. The largest decreases were observed in Florida, although it still had the highest number of flights in both periods. Some states experienced an increase in flights, such as New Jersey, New York, Georgia and South Carolina.
Figure 4: Comparison of the U.S. BizAv Flights This Year vs. Last Year
Compared to April 2022, total business flights in April 2023 decreased by 9.94%. Total flight hours dropped by 11.5% because the average flight hours per flight also shrank by 1.73%. Most aircraft categories experienced a decrease in the number of flights, with the exception of Very Light Jets, which saw a significant increase. Turboprop Aircraft, Light Jets, Super Light Jets, Midsize Jets, Super Midsize Jets, Large Jets, and Ultra Long Range Jets all experienced declines in varying degrees. The most notable decrease was observed in the Light Jet category, while the smallest decrease occurred in the Super Light Jet category.
Figure 5: Comparison of the U.S. BizAv Flights by the Top 25 Origin States (This Year vs. Last Year)
Comparing flight data from April 2022 to April 2023, most states in the US experienced a decrease in the number of flights. Florida maintained the highest number of flights in both periods, with 23,938 flights in April 2022 and 21,070 flights in April 2023, representing a 12.0% decrease.