A record year, and most of it is in North America
McKinsey says business aviation departures have grown 4.9% a year since 2019 and reached a record 3.9 million in 2025. North America accounted for 70% of global business flight hours, about four times Europe’s share. Manufacturers are responding: new deliveries reached 842 in 2025, on par with 2006 but still 65% of the 2008 peak of 1,290. The global business jet fleet grew by 730 aircraft because retirements fell to around 110. Separately, AIN reports that Gulfstream’s backlog reached $25 billion by mid-2026.
Leisure is the growth engine
US business jet departures grew by 417,000 between 2019 and 2025, and airfields serving leisure destinations accounted for 78% of that increase, or 326,000 departures. Witham Field in Stuart, Florida, was up 92%, Tampa 81% and Miami-Opa Locka 74%. Around New York, flyers are moving away from the busiest field: departures rose 27% at Westchester County (HPN) and 34% at Republic (FRG), against 9% at Teterboro (TEB).
+92%
Witham Field departures
2019 to 2025
+34%
Republic (FRG) departures
vs +9% at Teterboro
20%
Fractional share of flight hours
Up from 14% in 2019
$25B
Gulfstream backlog
Mid-2026 · AIN
Fractional programs and big operators gain ground
Fractional fleets grew from 990 aircraft in 2019, or 4.5% of the global fleet, to 1,510 in 2025, or 6.1%. Their share of flight hours rose from 14% to 20%, and NetJets and Flexjet flew 92% of fractional hours. The top three operator groups, NetJets, VistaJet and Flexjet, flew about 20% of all business jet hours in 2025, up from around 15% in 2019. New entrants are still coming in: Thrive Aviation expects its new fractional program to add about four to six HondaJets and two to four Challenger 3500s a year.
Desk takeaway
McKinsey found that 65% of ultra-long-range jet flights to and from the US in 2025 covered less than 1,000 nm, and 27% less than 250 nm. Big cabins often fly short sectors, so the right-sized aircraft can cost far less for the same trip. With programs and leisure airports this busy, book peak dates early, consider a secondary airport and check the empty-leg board for one-way repositioning flights. Set empty-leg alerts for your routes and follow the market in Market Intelligence.
Verified data & source
Every quantitative statement below comes from one of three separately cited sources. Departure, airport, fleet, fractional, operator and delivery figures are from McKinsey & Company’s report “The state of business aviation in 2026” (19 October 2026), which cites Cirium data for deliveries. The Gulfstream backlog figure is from AIN (21 October 2026). Thrive Aviation’s fractional plans are from its press release (2 September 2026). Nothing is blended or derived.
Key verified statements (McKinsey & Company, The state of business aviation in 2026, 19 October 2026; AIN, 21 October 2026; Thrive Aviation press release, 2 September 2026):
- Business aviation departures have grown 4.9% a year since 2019 and hit a record 3.9 million in 2025, and North America accounted for 70% of global business flight hours in 2025, about four times Europe's (McKinsey, 19 October 2026).
- US business jet departures grew by 417,000 between 2019 and 2025, and airfields serving leisure destinations accounted for 78% (326,000) of that increase, with Witham Field up 92%, Tampa 81% and Miami-Opa Locka 74% (McKinsey, 19 October 2026).
- From 2019 to 2025 business jet departures rose 27% at Westchester County (HPN) and 34% at Republic (FRG), compared with 9% at Teterboro (TEB) (McKinsey, 19 October 2026).
- 65% of all ultra-long-range business jet flights to and from the United States in 2025 were shorter than 1,000 nm and 27% were shorter than 250 nm (McKinsey, 19 October 2026).
- Fractional fleets grew from 990 aircraft (4.5% of the global fleet) in 2019 to 1,510 (6.1%) in 2025, and fractional operators' share of flight hours rose from 14% to 20%, with NetJets and Flexjet flying 92% of fractional hours (McKinsey, 19 October 2026).
- The top three operator groups, NetJets, VistaJet and Flexjet, flew about 20% of total business jet hours in 2025, up from around 15% in 2019 (McKinsey, 19 October 2026).
- Thrive Aviation's new fractional program with Honda Aircraft subsidiary Arulean Air expects to add about four to six HondaJet HA-420s and two to four Challenger 3500s a year, backed by Thrive's existing fleet of more than 30 aircraft (Thrive Aviation press release, 2 September 2026).
- New business aircraft deliveries reached 842 in 2025, on par with 2006 and 65% of the 2008 peak of 1,290, while the global business jet fleet grew by 730 aircraft as retirements fell to around 110 (McKinsey, citing Cirium data, 19 October 2026).
- Gulfstream's backlog reached $25 billion by mid-2026 as the manufacturer eyes a 200-business-jet annual production rate (AIN, 21 October 2026).
Frequently asked questions
How many business aviation flights were there in 2025?
McKinsey says business aviation departures reached a record 3.9 million in 2025, after growing 4.9% a year since 2019.
Which airports drove private jet growth in the US?
Airfields serving leisure destinations accounted for 78% (326,000) of the 417,000 extra US business jet departures between 2019 and 2025, with Witham Field up 92%, Tampa 81% and Miami-Opa Locka 74%.
Is fractional jet ownership growing?
Yes. Fractional fleets grew from 990 aircraft in 2019 to 1,510 in 2025, and their share of flight hours rose from 14% to 20%, according to McKinsey.
Do ultra-long-range jets mostly fly long trips?
No. McKinsey found that 65% of ultra-long-range business jet flights to and from the United States in 2025 were shorter than 1,000 nm, and 27% were shorter than 250 nm.