Flight Range Analysis

08. Flight Range Analysis Short / Medium / Long-Haul Distribution | January 2026 Note: Short-haul ≤500nm | Medium-haul 500-2000nm | Long-haul >2000nm. Based on great circle distance. Global Flight Volume by Range Category

Short-Haul 144,180 January 2026 Departures YoY -0.64% MoM -12.23% Medium-Haul 108,916 January 2026 Departures YoY +1.54% MoM -6.15% Long-Haul 10,437 January 2026 Departures YoY +8.52% MoM -1.99% Flight Distribution by Range Category — January 2026 vs Comparatives

54.7% 41.3% 4.0% 55.4% 40.9% 3.7% 56.4% 39.9% 3.7% Short-Haul (≤500nm) Medium-Haul (500-2000nm) Long-Haul (>2000nm) Integrated Performance Insights The Long-Haul segment (>2000nm) continues to serve as the primary growth leader in January 2026, posting a robust +8.52% year-over-year expansion. This segment also demonstrated the strongest resilience against seasonal headwinds, recording the shallowest month-over-month contraction of just -1.99%. This sustained dual strength reinforces the enduring demand for intercontinental and long-range missions, which remain less susceptible to short-term seasonal travel fluctuations.

In contrast, the Short-Haul segment (≤500nm), while still constituting the largest portion of the market at 144,180 flights, was the only category to register a year-over-year decline at -0.64%. It also proved most sensitive to seasonal shifts with the steepest MoM decline of -12.23%. Meanwhile, the Medium-Haul segment (500-2000nm) delivered solid growth of +1.54% year-over-year, adding 1,649 departures compared to January 2025, while exhibiting a more moderate MoM decline of -6.15%, underscoring its role as a stable contributor to overall market expansion.

The year-over-year data reveals an accelerating structural shift in flight range distribution. Short-Haul flights now account for 54.71% of operations, down from 55.37% in January 2025, a decrease of 0.66 percentage points. This market share has been absorbed by the Medium-Haul (+0.40 pp) and Long-Haul (+0.29 pp) segments, confirming a sustained market evolution towards longer-range flights.

The comparative data across January 2026, January 2025, and December 2025 reveals a clear and persistent trend: a gradual shift in market composition towards longer-range operations. The combined share of Medium and Long-Haul flights in January 2026 reached 45.29% (41.33% + 3.96%), up from 44.60% in January 2025 and 43.54% in December 2025. This confirms the structural evolution towards longer-distance missions is gathering momentum.

Operational efficiency analysis suggests that while short-haul flights continue to provide essential high-frequency connectivity, the increasing share of medium and long-haul sectors points to a growing emphasis on maximizing asset utilization. The sustained growth in the >500nm categories indicates that operators are increasingly deploying aircraft on routes where business aviation offers the most significant time-saving advantages over commercial alternatives, particularly on transcontinental and international routes.

Looking ahead, the resilience of the long-haul sector and the steady growth of the medium-haul segment suggest a positive trajectory for early 2026. As global business travel demand expands and operators continue to optimize fleet deployment, the trend towards longer-range missions is expected to persist. The slight year-over-year softening in short-haul volumes may also reflect a market maturation where regional trips increasingly leverage alternative transport modes, further concentrating business aviation on the longer routes where it holds the greatest competitive advantage.