Global private jet departures fell 1% in week 39 despite year-to-date gains

Global private jet flight activity recorded nearly 80,000 departures during week 39 of 2026, which ended 27 September, according to data reported by Private Jet Card Comparisons. The week saw a year-over-year decline of approximately 1%, marking a dip after two consecutive weeks of flat activity.

WingX analysts attributed the slowdown partly to comparative strength in prior-year months. August 2025 saw private jet flights rise 5.7% year-over-year, and September 2025 recorded a 6.3% increase. These strong months in 2025 create headwinds for year-over-year comparison in the same periods this year. However, the year-to-date trend for 2026 remains positive: private jet activity stands 3.4% ahead of 2025 through the same point in the calendar.

Nick Koscinski, a WingX analyst, told Private Jet Card Comparisons that "global activity slipped about 1% last week, so after a couple of flat weeks we've had a small step down, though the year-to-date trend is still holding up at +3.4%."

Regionally, performance diverged sharply. Africa recorded the strongest gains at 46% year-over-year growth, though WingX noted this is off a small base. In North America, private jets recorded approximately 56,370 departures over the week, a 2% year-over-year decrease. The United States alone accounted for nearly 55,000 of these flights, also down 2% year-over-year. However, Florida and Texas, two of the largest US markets, both posted year-over-year gains for the week. Week-over-week, US activity declined 7%, largely driven by an 11% fall in California departures.

Koscinski stated that "with key states Florida and Texas both up on the week, I'm not reading too much into North America's slight dip."

For 2026 overall, 22 weeks have shown year-over-year growth, five weeks were flat, and 12 weeks recorded declines. WingX analysts expect the slowdown to reverse in the coming months, noting that October and November both saw year-over-year growth in 2025, positioning them as potentially stronger comparison periods for this year.