European and North American business aircraft activity continued on a record-setting pace in the first half of the year, with Part 135 flights reaching a new high in March and Part 91 rebounding from Covid lows, according to the Argus International mid-year review.

The business aviation analyst and safety specialist noted that growth began on a strong footing in the first quarter with yearly gains averaging 24 percent per month. In fact, each month in 2022 has posted a year-over-year increase over 2021.

In North America, flight activity is up 15.8 percent in the first half, compared with 2022. Part 91 experienced the strongest growth from 2021, up 19 percent while fractional activity followed at 14.2 percent and Part 135 at 12.8 percent.

Large cabin activity has experienced a resurgence with 271,961 flights logged this year, up 28.5 percent from a year earlier. Midsize cabin activity increased 17.9 percent, small cabins 14.5 percent, and turboprops 8.8 percent.

In Europe, meanwhile, activity has surged by 58.3 percent in the first half over the same period in 2021. Globally, business aircraft flights have increased by 29.3 percent.

Argus expects flights to remain ahead through the rest of the year, but with a slower rate of growth, averaging about a percentage point above activity in 2021 and 19.8 percent over the pre-pandemic levels in 2019.