Recent signature annual events in Europe have underscored the continuing surge in business aviation usage. In Milan, Italy, the city’s famed Design Week saw a significant boost in private aviation traffic, according to SEA Prime which manages the general aviation infrastructure at both Linate and Malpensa airports. The event attracted more than 400,000 visitors to the "Design Capital of Europe," with more than 1,100 business aviation movements for the week between both gateways, for an average of 160 a day.

That represents an overwhelming 75 percent increase from 2021, with two-thirds of the activity consisting of international flights. The company noted a record 80 aircraft overnighting at its facilities during the event, which ended on June 12.

On the French Riviera, Nice's Cannes-Mandelieu and Côte d’Azur airports experienced a 56 percent rise in business aviation traffic in May compared to pre-Covid 2019 levels during the 75th edition of the iconic Cannes Film Festival, which began on May 17, and the 79th Monaco Grand Prix that took place on May 29.

Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, which operates both gateways, reported more than 1,000 additional aircraft movements this year at Côte d’Azur, for a total of 2,993, compared to the similar span period in 2019, with a high of 390 operations on May 30. At Cannes-Mandelieu, there were 205 more operations this year than in 2019.