Business aircraft flight activity in North America got off on the right foot this year, posting a 2 percent year-over-year increase last month, according to TraqPak data released today by Argus International. Its outlook for this month is somewhat pessimistic, predicting a 0.5 percent downturn from a year ago; however, last February had an extra day due to the leap year, which artificially padded activity.

Results by operational category were positive across the board, with Part 135 and fractional activity each climbing by 4 percent from a year ago. Part 91 flying eked out only a 0.2 percent gain.

One again, large-cabin jets led in activity by aircraft category, climbing 7.9 percent year-over-year last month. This was followed by a “solid” 3.2 percent rise in midsize jet flying, while light jets declined by 0.2 percent and turboprops were flat versus January 2016.

By region, the U.S. Southeast led with 56,840 departures last month, eclipsing the next-busiest region, the Southwest, which logged 32,891 departures, Argus said. Flights during weekdays in January increased by 0.7 percent, while weekend flights jumped 4 percent.

Large-cabin jets also dominated in individual categories, with Part 135 and fractional large-cabin-jet flying soaring 11 percent and 25.1 percent, respectively, year-over-year. Argus TraqPak data provides “flight-number-specific aircraft arrival and departure information on all IFR flights in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.”