As a result of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, more and more travelers are looking to rent a private jet for flexibility and convenience. However, perhaps the most essential benefit of private travel is the issue of safety.
Our experts at Stratos Jet Charters will be covering the most interesting private jet statistics to provide some insight into this growing industry.
How many private jets are there in the world?
There were a total of 21,979 active private aviation jets in 2019. North America accounted for about 71% of all private aircraft, with Europe coming second at roughly 13%. The Australia and Oceania region had the least, accounting for 1% of all private aircraft worldwide.
Key Statistics:
In 2019, there were 21,979 business aircraft jets worldwide (4).
North America had 15,547 private jet aircraft, more than all the other regions combined (5).
Europe had the second highest with 2,760 private aircraft (6).
Australia and Oceania only had 230 active business aircraft in 2019 (7).
Private jet growth worldwide per year (from fleet size)
There were 21,979 active private aviation jets in 2019 worldwide. Due to the high demand for private jet travel, this number is expected to rise steadily despite pandemic restrictions. In fact, industry forecasts for the next ten years predict between 6,362 and 7,300 new jet deliveries, valued between $204.4 billion and $236 billion.
Key Statistics:
Private jet statistics show a global fleet of 21,929 registered aircraft (8).
Industry predictions estimate 6,362 new jets sales worth $217.5 billion between 2020 and 2029 (9).
Even more optimistic predictions estimate 7,300 new private aircraft sales worth $235 billion between 2021 to 2030 (10).
How many private jets are there in North America?
In 2019, North America had the biggest private jet fleet in the world, with 15,547 registered aircraft from various countries in the region. The US fleet holds roughly 89% of the total jets on the continent. Mexico comes second at 6%, while the third biggest fleet goes to Canada at 3%.
Key Statistics:
In 2019, there were 15,547 registered private aircraft in North America, with the number of jet business aircraft from the US totaling 13,797, or almost 90% of the region’s fleet (11).
Mexico had the second-biggest fleet at 974 jets (12).
Canada had the third most private aircraft at 532 jets (13).
How many private jets are there in the United States?
In 2019, the United States had the biggest business aviation fleet of over 21,800 registered aircraft worldwide. The fleet comprised 13,700 private jet aircraft, 8,001 turboprops, and 90 executive aircraft. On top of its leading fleet size, the United States houses some of the world’s top private aviation manufacturers like Boeing, Gulfstream, Textron, Cessna, HondaJet, and Zunum Aero.
Key Statistics:
Owing to the high demand, the United States accounts for almost 63% of the world’s private aviation jets (37).
Fleet reports show that private jet aircraft make up more than half of the country’s business aviation fleet (38).
The United States houses seven out of the top 12 international jet market manufacturers (39).
What is the private jet market size in the United States?
The market size of private jet aircraft and other charter flights in the United States was $24.4 billion in 2019. During the 2020 pandemic, the number slightly fell to $23.1 billion. For the first quarter of 2021, the charter flight industry grew with a market share of $23.6 billion.
Key Statistics:
The market size for private aviation jets and other charter flights in the United States reached $24.4 billion by the end of 2019 (40).
Industry reports show that the market share for charter flights lowered due to the pandemic but is still relatively stable compared to the overall economy (41).
By the first quarter of 2021, the charter flight industry started to recover with a 2.1% growth (42).
Who are the top charter flight operators in the United States?
During the 2020 pandemic, Gama Aviation Signature became the top charter flight operator with 65,307 flight hours, XOJET placed second at 50,392 flight hours, while Executive Jet Management ranked third at 37,348. By the end of the year, all 135 operators accumulated 1,329,729 flight hours, 15% lower than 2019’s total. Charter flight companies that used large-cabin aircraft were most affected due to pandemic travel restrictions, while flights on small cabin models were least affected.
Key Statistics:
Gama Aviation Signature holds the title of top charter flight operator since 2016, but its flight hours were reduced by 37,789 between 2019 and 2020 due to the pandemic (73).
XO JET rose from second to third place between 2019 and 2020, despite having its flight hours lowered by 8,845 during this period (74).
Executive Jet Management held the second top spot in 2019 but lost it to XO JET after the 2020 pandemic, where they had 21,889 fewer flight hours (75).
Data from Argus International’s TRAQPak list show that large-cabin aircraft flights dropped by 28.7%, while small cabin flights only saw a 10.3% decrease (76).
What are the busiest states for private jet flights?
Florida was the busiest state for private jet travel during the 2020 pandemic, accounting for 11.9% of all private jet flights in the country. Texas flights ranked second at 10%, while California came a close third at 9.8%. The state most affected by COVID flight and airport restrictions was New Jersey, dropping from the fourth spot the year before to ninth in 2020.
Key Statistics:
Between 2019 and 2020, Florida went from third to first busiest state for private jet travel despite experiencing a 7% loss of total departures (77).
Texas remained at the second spot from 2019 to 2020 but had 23% fewer departures due to pandemic travel restrictions (78).
California switched with Florida from first to third place and suffered a negative 25% flight loss in 2020 (79).
In order, the top four to ten busiest states for private jet travel in 2020 were Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Arizona, New Jersey, and Illinois (80).
While New Jersey remained in the top ten, it suffered the biggest loss of minus 45% compared to other states (81).
1.5. What are the busiest FAA regions for private jet flights?
In 2020, the Southern region remained the busiest area for private jet travel, accounting for 27% of all business aviation flights in the country. The Western Pacific also retains its second-place spot from the year before at 15%, while the Southwest moved its rank from fourth to third place at 13%, beating out the Great Lakes region.
Key Statistics:
The South retained its top spot as the busiest region for private jet travel despite having 18% fewer flights in 2020 (82).
The Western Pacific kept its second-place spot in 2020 while experiencing 22% fewer flights than the year before (83).
The Southwest switched places with the Great Lakes region and ranked third, despite experiencing 24% fewer flights in 2020 (84).
What are the busiest private jet airports in the United States?
KTEB in Teterboro, New Jersey, was the busiest private jet airport in 2020, with 36,508 flights. KDAL airport in Dallas, Texas, came second at 29,809 flights, and KPBI in Palm Beach, Florida, ranked third at 27,781. Almost 90% of private jet airports in the United States experienced fewer departures than the year before due to the pandemic.
Key Statistics:
The KTEB airports in Teterboro remained at the top spot in 2020 despite suffering from the biggest drop (50%) of departures (85).
KDAL airports in Dallas retained their 2nd ranking with 15.4% fewer departures than the year before (86).
KPBI airports in Palm Beach came third in 2020 and experienced a relatively low departure loss of 1.1% (87).
Segments
In this section, you can find statistics about various flight segments in the United States and worldwide.
2.1. How many private jet flights are there in the US each year?
In 2020, the number of private jet flights in the United States almost reached 2.15 million, lower by about 644,00 than 2019’s total. While private jet travel was greatly affected during the first half of 2020 when the pandemic restrictions began, the industry quickly recovered to almost pre-pandemic levels as the year progressed to the latter half.
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