The number of business aviation departures accelerated in Europe in September, growing 4 percent year-over-year, slightly ahead of the year-to-date trend, according to WingX Advance’s latest Business Aviation Monitor. Business jets accounted for 63 percent of the 83,848 business aviation departures, marking a 3 percent increase year over year.

The strongest growth in the major markets occurred in Italy and Spain, up 7 percent and 9 percent, respectively. France and Germany, meanwhile, also experienced solid growth, up around 5 percent. However, departures declined slightly in the UK and Switzerland, WingX reported.

In smaller markets, business activity jumped 22 percent in Croatia, and 10 percent in the Netherlands and Ireland. Prop and piston activity out of Finland, meanwhile, drove a 60 percent spike.

Large jets and charter activity, which in the recent past have led business aviation flight operations growth, were both relatively flat in the month. Large jet activity was up only 1 percent overall and down 5 percent in the UK. Charter/AOC activity increased 2 percent year-over-year, but that was weaker than recent trends.

“There was a distinctive pattern to the activity, with relatively strong growth in private flights, while charter flights are tailing off after the summer,” said Richard Koe, managing director of WingX Advance, who added that last month overall was “the busiest-ever September.”