US flight activity up for fifth March in a row

Reynolds Jet hangar

Flight activity in the US has increased for the fifth March in a row, according to a new monthly report from Argus TRAQPak data.

Highlights during the month include double-digit growth in large-cabin and 8.8% growth in the mid-size charter activity. Overall, however, March 2018 saw a 2.6% rise in activity across the board.

A 7.7% increase in charter activity in all classes helped mask falls in other categories. Although fractional operations increased by 0.6%, private flights slid by -0.4%.

The 2.6% year-on-year increase is dwarfed by the month-on-month increase of 12.5%.

Compared to February, March saw increases across all aircraft and all operational categories.

Double-digit growth was seen across most categories, with the highest being in mid-size fractional operations, which increased by 16.4%.

The only jet category not to see double-digit growth was in fractional operations, which only grew by 1.7%.

The Argus TRAQPak data records all flights in the US by individual serial number. It tracks all arrivals in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as Canada and the Caribbean.