INTELLIGENCE

摘要

BUSINESS AVIATION FLIGHT ACTIVITY TURNED IN ITS BEST YEAR in 2017 since 2008, with more than 3 million flights in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, according to Argus International data. Growth continued in every major aircraft and operational category. Argus said it expects the positive trend to continue at least through the first quarter of 2018. It estimates flight activity in January, February and March to rise 3.6% over the same period of 2017, with March producing the largest increase of the three months. Flight activity rose 3.9% in 2017 when compared to the previous year, while flight hours rose 5.5%. The increase reflects the fourth straight year of consistent growth in business aviation activity. Flight activity rose 7.1% compared to 2015 and 9.4% from 2014 figures. By segment, FAR Part 91 flights were stagnant with an increase of 0.1% in 2017 from a year ago, while Part 135 flights rose 9.2% and fractional flights rose 4.7%, rebounding from the sluggish years of consolidation, Argus said. The fractional industry posted yearly gains for all 12 months of the year. By aircraft category, flight hours rose 5.5% in 2017 to 4.42 million hours. Flight hours by large-cabin jets recorded the largest increase in 2017 with an 8.9% rise, followed by midsize cabin jets with a 6.8% increase. Turboprop and small-cabin flight hours each increased 3.4% compared to 2016. The five states with the most departures in 2017 were California, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Georgia. Thursday continued to be the busiest day of the week for business aviation in 2017. All five days of the week averaged at least 8,000 flights per day, although Sunday, Monday and Tuesday each recorded a slight decline in average flight activity compared to 2016. With Part 91 activity stagnant for 2017, "the Part 91 segment leaves us with questions heading into 2018," Argus said. "Will this sector be able to increase growth of 0.1% or will it slip further over the next 12 months?" For the first quarter of 2018, Argus TraqPak analysts predict Part 135 charter flight activity will rise 8.1%, fractional activity will rise 2.4% and Part 91 activity will be mostly flat - up 0.7% for the period.