McKinsey & Company published its first report on business aviation on 19 October 2026, and Aviation International News and AVweb both covered it this week. The firm says global business aviation departures reached 3.9 million in 2025, a 4.9% yearly rise on average since 2019.

North America still accounts for about 70% of global flight hours, while Latin America and Asia-Pacific grew faster in percentage terms. The number of people with a net worth above USD 30 million rose 5.6% a year from 2019 to 2025, AIN reported.

The change that matters on the ramp is where those hours now go. Between 2019 and 2025, US business jet departures rose by about 417,000, and airports that serve leisure and second-home traffic accounted for 78% of that rise, AVweb said. Departures at Witham Field in Stuart, Florida, rose 92%, and Naples Airport rose 60%. Chicago Midway, Oakland and Van Nuys saw falls.

Patrick Gallagher, president of NetJets Aviation, told McKinsey that Naples, Scottsdale, Jackson Hole and Bozeman are busy year-round. People who bought homes during the pandemic now go there regularly.

New supply has not kept up. Manufacturers delivered 842 business jets in 2025, about 65% of the 1,290 delivered in 2008. Annual retirements fell from about 300 in 2019 to about 110 in 2025. The fleet is growing because fewer aircraft leave service, rather than because factories have returned to their old peak.

That older fleet needs more time in the shop. McKinsey warned that jets brought back after the pandemic could leave the market when they hit heavy maintenance. AIN said supply chains still limit how fast builders can raise output. Hangar and ramp space at the busy leisure fields is already tight.

Buyers have moved to both ends of the cabin. The very light jet fleet grew 6.7% a year from 2019 to 2025, and the long-range fleet grew 5.1% a year. About 65% of US ultra-long-range jet flights last year were under 1,000 nautical miles. Owners are paying for cabin space more than they are paying for the full range.

Fractional fleets grew from 990 aircraft in 2019 to 1,510 in 2025, and their share of business jet hours rose from 14% to 20%. NetJets and Flexjet flew 92% of those fractional hours. The average business aircraft flew about 19% more hours than it did before COVID.

For operators, the pinch is hangar space and shop slots at the leisure fields, plus the wait for a young airframe. When an older jet goes in for a heavy check, charter and ACMI cover has to come from a thinner pool.

When we arrange wet lease cover, we now start with where the aircraft will night-stop in peak months and how close the next heavy check sits. The type still matters. The calendar and the field matter more than they did five years ago. Details are on the contact page.

Sources: ainonline.com, avweb.com, privatejetcardcomparisons.com