European business jet flying fell 8% in a week.
WingX counted 11,030 business jet departures in Europe in the week ending Oct 17, down 8% on the previous week and 1% on last year. Charter and fractional flights in Europe were flat year on year at 7,429 but also fell 8% week on week, led by Italy (down 13%) and the UK and France (each down 9%). Over the full week, France (up 7%), Switzerland (up 6%) and Italy (up 2%) were still ahead of last year. Globally there were 83,315 departures, down 1% year on year.
The Middle East is still the weak spot.
In the same week, charter and fractional flights in the Middle East were down 20% year on year, and all business jet departures there were down 14%. At NBAA-BACE, the head of the regional association MEBAA insisted the Middle East is still open for business.
Brokers say good used jets are often sold before they are listed.
At an NBAA-BACE broker panel on Oct 21, speakers said only about 6.5% of the business aircraft fleet is for sale, and Rolland Vincent counted around four pre-owned transactions for every new delivery. Chris Meisner of Meisner Aircraft estimated that about half of his firm’s deals close before the aircraft is publicly advertised, and ACASS reported the off-market share rising for large-cabin jets.
Operators are racing to give instant, firm charter prices.
Elevate Jet is offering real-time, bookable prices for the Thanksgiving-to-New Year peak, generated by its AI software. Flyte Aviation launched a partner portal that returns a firm price from live aircraft availability in under a minute. flyExclusive is building an AI quoting tool that lets wholesale brokers text a request and get an option back from its schedule.
NetJets opens a private campus in Las Vegas.
The new campus includes a 17,069 sq ft private terminal, two hangars and a 24/7 service hub. NetJets says its Las Vegas demand is up nearly 30% so far this year.
This briefing is a market summary compiled from the cited public sources. It is not investment, legal or operational advice; figures are as reported by those sources.
