Business Aviation
REvival
The growth in business aviation activity has moderated in 2022, but is still at a record high, and well ahead of 2021
Bizjets’ Elevated Take Off in 2022 Carrying forward from the holiday high, business jets began 2022 on a record New Year demand, reported WingX Advance
Photograph: Gulfstream
By Ayushee Chaudhary Business jets had a relatively relieving sigh as the end of 2021 saw a rise in activity even amid speculations of the new variants of Covid-19 virus. The optimism has managed to continue even in this New Year. The holiday season’s fervour to explore winter destinations seems to be on a continuum. For the first ten days of January 2022, business jets flew 26 per cent more flights than two years ago, on the eve of the pandemic, noted global data management and analysis company, WingX Advance. Compared to January 2019, business jet activity in the beginning of January this year is up 18 per cent. While in comparison to the virus-affected slowdown last year, this year is already up by 38 per cent. Three weeks into January 2022, global business aviation traffic has surpassed last January by 17 per cent, and is tracking 10
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ISSUE 5 • 2022
per cent up versus January 2019. Scheduled passenger airlines have operated 29 per cent more flights than in January 2021, but 30 per cent fewer than in January 2020. Since business aviation demand rebounded in mid-2021, flights have exceeded the same pre-pandemic period by 12 per cent. This month’s numbers were boosted by the New Year holiday, flights up 20 per cent on the New Year week in 2019. Things have cooled down since the world went back to work, but even the latest week was the busiest ever for mid-January, up 31 per cent on last year, up nine per cent on 2020 and five per cent higher than in 2019. North America nails Despite raising Omicron concerns, North America has come out as the strongest bizjet market, with flights up almost 30 per
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