Business jet operations in the U.S., Caribbean and Canada increased by 4.6 percent last month, led by double-digit gains in the large-jet category, according to the latest Argus Business Aircraft Activity report.
Based on the Argus TraqPak IFR arrival and departure data, the report found a 10.1 percent jump in all large jet operations year-over-year in March and a 22.5 percent surge in Part 135 large jet operations. Fractional large jet operations also picked up considerably, at 15 percent. Part 91 flights involving large aircraft edged upward, but at 2.7 percent, not nearly the rate of the charter and fractional operations.
Midsize jets marked the second-largest gain of the month, up 5.9 percent. As with the large jets, the greatest increase came from Part 135 operators at 14.8 percent. Light jet and turboprop operations also increased, by 3.8 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively. The month marked gains in across the board, except Part 135 operations involving turboprops. Those flights dipped by 2.1 percent.
Argus expects the improvements to continue in April, predicting a 4.8 percent increase for this month. The company's TraqPak data provides “flight-number-specific aircraft arrival and departure information on all IFR flights in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.”
