✈️ Palm Springs KTRM Summer Plunges 59% as Peak-Off-Peak Gap Widens Further
Avi-Go data shows that Bermuda Dunes... Thermal Airport (KTRM), located in the Palm Springs resort area, recorded only 493 business jet movements in June 2026, a sharp year-over-year drop of 59.2%, with May also falling back to 1,209 movements (-54.0%). This is not an operational disruption, but rather a typical summer high-heat off-season effect—the airport had surged to a peak of 2,669 movements in March 2026 (+7.5% year-over-year) and 2,626 movements in April (+9.6%), with solid peak-season performance. However, what warrants attention is that the peak-to-trough gap for the comparable 2026 period reached -54.7% (1,460 movements), an expansion of approximately 29% from 2025's -45.5% (1,130 movements), with seasonal volatility markedly intensifying.
Impact: For KTRM operators and resident FBOs, the widening peak-to-trough gap means that peak-season capacity strain and off-season resource idleness coexist, further increasing scheduling pressure on staffing, ramp, and ground handling allocation, and making it more difficult to spread fixed costs during the off-season.
Recommendation: Operators should complete a summer off-season review before September 2026, and use it to design flexible staffing and temporary peak-season capacity plans; FBOs and Brokers can lock in ramp and service resources for the peak period from Q4 2026 to Q1 2027 in advance, avoiding supply bottlenecks during peak times.