Analysis by Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) of WingX data from September 2022 found that in the first eight months of 2022, there were around 2.76 million business aircraft departures in the USA. Compared with the same period in 2019, this is an increase of more than 303,000 or 12.3%.
Every month between January and August this year, there was a rise in US business aircraft departures when compared with the corresponding months in 2019. The monthly increases range from 8.2% in August, to 17.7% in March.
When looking at some of the busiest airports for large business aircraft departures in the USA, Francis S Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach (Long Island) saw a rise of 37.9% in August 2022 compared with August 2019, Dallas Love Field Airport in Dallas (Texas) saw an increase of 33.6% and Opa Locka Executive in Miami (Florida) a rise of 25.7%.
“Despite global economic and political volatility, the business aviation market in the US is enjoying strong growth,” said Sean McGeough, VP commercial ACJ for North America. “There are several reasons for this, including a significant increase in new ‘first-time’ users of business aircraft during the worst of the COVID-19 crisis who now want to continue flying privately, to employers placing a growing focus on the well-being of their managers, to new innovative aircraft being launched that have a greater focus on efficiency and sustainability.”
ACJ offers a range of large business aircraft, the latest of which is the ACJ TwoTwenty, launched in October 2020, marketed as ‘The Xtra Large Bizjet’. The aircraft can fly for over 12 flight hours and offers 786ft² of floor space. It features six wide VIP living areas of around 130ft² each.
The ACJ TwoTwenty occupies the same parking space as competing business jets and can take off from the same airports, but is designed to offer reduced operating costs. ACJ shared that the jet delivers an 18dB noise margin versus current regulations and up to 20% lower fuel burn versus previous-generation aircraft. As with all ACJ aircraft, the ACJ TwoTwenty is certified to fly with a 50% blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The goal is to achieve 100% SAF certification by 2030.
