Projected demand for private charter flights suggests significant volatility over the early part of the Northern Hemisphere summer season, according to the latest data from online charter portal Avinode. The company’s forward-looking demand index for 30 days beginning June 2 showed marked decreases in most categories analyzed for the North American and European markets, with some notable exceptions.

In Europe, the demand index for light jets on June 2 stood at 499.1, almost 148 points above the May 2 index and also ahead of its year-ago level. But the medium and heavy jet categories in Europe were down on a month earlier at 293.8 and 144.5 index points, respectively. In the North American market, the heavy jet index was up 17 points from its May 2 level, at 125, but both the light and medium jet categories dipped by comparison with a month ago.

Nonetheless, as usual, there was far greater predicted stability in Avinode’s pricing index. Average charter prices paid over the past 30 days were also fairly stable for three sample jet types. In Europe, flight hour rates for the Challenger 604 and the Citation Excel increased by around 3 percent, to €4,837 and €2,851, respectively. Meanwhile, the average for the Hawker 800 dipped by 2 percent to €3,386. In North America, rates for the same aircraft remained largely unchanged.