North American private jet flights rise 0.9% in September, beating forecasts

North American private jet flight activity rose 0.9% year-over-year in September, according to Private Jet Card Comparisons, beating ARGUS TRAQPak analysts' forecast of a 0.1% decline. ARGUS predicted October will record a 1.1% year-over-year increase.

The September result avoids what would have been the first negative year-over-year result in 2026. Travis Kuhn, Senior Vice President at ARGUS, told Private Jet Card Comparisons that September's results were surprising. "All indicators showed a decline in activity when the month began. Fortunately, that forecast didn't turn out to be correct, and activity was positive."

Kuhn added that the positive result "continues to point to the strength and resiliency of the business jet market in North America & abroad. We do have concern areas, but overall demand has held firm heading into what is usually a busy Q4 season for activity."

Aircraft categories show mixed results

Within aircraft categories, turboprops posted the largest year-over-year increase at 4.8%. Small cabin jets also grew, recording 3.6% more flights year-over-year. The midsize jet market saw a slight decrease of 1.1%, while large cabin jets recorded the largest decline, with 7.0% fewer flights than September 2025.

Within fractional operations, large-cabin jets drove growth with 13.9% more flights year-over-year. Midsize and small cabin fractional jets each recorded growth of 7.1% and 6.8% respectively. The turboprop segment within fractional saw only 0.2% more flights.

Business segments diverge

Business segments showed divergent performance. Fractional operations recorded the largest growth at 7.2% year-over-year. Part 135 operations remained positive with 3.0% more flights than last September, with turboprops posting the strongest segment performance at 7.5% growth. Midsize jets in Part 135 grew 1.0% while small cabin jets grew 4.1%, though large cabin jets fell 4.9%.

Part 91 operations fell, recording 3.4% fewer flights year-over-year. Large cabin and midsize jets each saw the steepest declines at 13.3% fewer flights. Small cabin jets recorded the smallest decrease at 1.9% more flights, while turboprops in Part 91 grew 2.9%.

Month-over-month, September recorded 1.9% more flights than August. When adjusted for September having one fewer day than August, average flights per day increased 5.3%. In North America, six of the eight major regions recorded a monthly increase in flight activity. The Southwest and South each recorded double-digit month-over-month jumps, while the Northeast saw the largest decrease of 16.9%, followed by the Caribbean with 14.4% fewer flights.