December delivered its traditional upswing in business aviation traffic around the Christmas and New Year holiday period, according to the latest data produced by data analyst WingX Advance, with charter traffic in North America contributing particularly strongly this year.

The increase in traffic in the second half of December was particularly apparent as Caribbean and Central American destinations recorded double-digit growth even over the same period in 2019. The number of flights from the US to Mexico rose by 17%, to Costa Rica by 32% and to the Turks & Caicos Islands by 41%. Domestically too, flights to Florida and Arizona increased YOY by some 12% and 10% respectively.

Traffic was not so buoyant on the other side of the Atlantic. The total number of bizav flights in Europe in December was down overall by 13% on December 2019. This was due in large part to the reimposition of national lockdowns and wholesale restrictions on the annual ski season, which usually accounts for a considerable amount of seasonal traffic. Although traffic from some areas, including Russia and Turkey saw some increase, the plunging figures for major markets are stark: departures from France and Germany fell by nearly 20%, Italy by 25% and the UK by over 30%.