Business aviation flight activity in North America “sizzled” last month, recording a 5.2 percent year-over-year increase, according to TrakPak data released today by Argus International. This is the largest month operations-wise since May 2008 and shattered the business aviation data firm’s 3.3 percent growth forecast for August; it is predicting 3.2 percent this month.

Last month's results were fueled by a 10.9 percent year-over-year increase in Part 135 charter activity. Part 91K fractional flying also posted a solid 7 percent gain and, for the first time in several months, Part 91 activity was in the black, rising 0.9 percent.

Large-cabin jet activity continued to dominate the aircraft categories, climbing 7.2 percent year-over-year in August. This was followed by light jets, up 5.5 percent; midsize jets, up 4.8 percent; and turboprops, up 4.5 percent.

In individual categories, the Part 135 segment nearly had across-the-board double-digit gains, with the exception of light jets under this catergory, which rose 9.1 percent from a year ago. Part 135 turboprop, midsize jet and large-cabin jet flying soared 11.3 percent, 11.4 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, fractional light jet activity rose 17 percent year-over-year. Only Part 91 light jets recorded a slight loss, falling 0.2 percent.

Argus’s TraqPak data provides “flight-number-specific aircraft arrival and departure information on all IFR flights in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.”