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ARGUS TRAQPak data is serial-number specific aircraft arrival and departure information on all IFR flights in the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada. The information below reflects business aircraft activity data for Jan. 1 to 31, 2016, vs. Dec. 1 to 31, 2015, and Jan. 1 to 31, 2016, vs. Jan. 1-31, 2015, respectively. A copy of this report can be found at TRAQPak Business Aircraft Activity Reports.
January 2016 rings in the New Year with a sharp climb, up three per cent from 2015 … January business aviation flight activity posted its normal month over month seasonal decline, finishing the period down 1.5 per cent from December; January has averaged a 1.3 per cent monthly decline, from December, over the past three years. Results by operational category were down or flat for the month, with Part 91 operators finishing the period up 26 flights from December. The Part 135 market recorded a monthly drop of 2.1 per cent, while the fractional market saw a decrease of 5.8 per cent. Looking at the aircraft categories, the large cabin market posted the only monthly increase from December, up 4.7 per cent. The small and mid-size cabin markets posted decreases of 1.7 and 2.0 per cent, respectively, while turboprop aircraft posted a drop of 3.5 per cent. The largest monthly gain, for an individual segment, occurred in the Part 135 large cabin segment, up 8.6 per cent from December.
Reviewing year over year flight activity (January 2016 vs. January 2015); TRAQPak data indicates that January 2016 posted an increase of three per cent, marking the 11th straight year over year increase. The results by operational category saw continued significant increases in the Part 91 market, which posted an increase of four per cent overall. The Part 135 market followed with an increase of 2.5 per cent from January 2015. The fractional market was slightly in the red, down 0.2 per cent. Flight activity by aircraft category was positive across the board, with turboprops and large cabin aircraft leading the way, up 5.3 per cent respectively. Small and mid-size cabin aircraft posted yearly flight activity gains of 1.7 and 0.3 per cent, respectively. The largest year over year gain for an individual segment occurred in the Part 135 large cabin segment, which saw an increase of 7.4 per cent.
Next Month’s Forecast
Looking ahead…TRAQPak analysts estimate there will be a 9.1 per cent increase in overall flight activity year over year in February 2016, and projections indicate that Q1 2016 will be up five per cent from the same period in 2015.
