Business aircraft usage last month in Europe climbed 4.5 percent year-over-year, to 57,037 flights, according to the latest data from WingX Advance. That is on top of 6.6 percent year-over-year growth in January. Business jet departures rose 3 percent, with a decline in private flights offset by a 5 percent gain in charter activity in this segment.

While Western and Central Europe experienced “robust growth” in flight activity, the UK was flat and Italy recorded only modest gains, said WingX. Overall, Germany had the strongest growth in business aviation flying, though mainly in the piston segment. Spain reported the largest gains in business jet activity, with a last 12-month-trend increase of 9 percent in this segment.

WingX said 90 percent of business aviation flights originating in Europe stayed within the region last month, with this volume up by 5 percent from a year ago. Flights inbound to Europe from other regions were weaker year-over-year in February, with arrivals from the Middle East down by 15 percent and transatlantic arrivals falling 5 percent.

The busiest 10 airports in Europe all saw some increase in year-over-year activity last month, which WingX termed “modest” at Paris Le Bourget, Moscow Vnukovo, and Zurich, but “substantial” at Farnborough, Geneva, Nice, and London Biggin Hill. Notably, air charter departures from Farnborough soared more than 30 percent from February 2017, according to WingX.