Flight Range Analysis

08. Flight Range Analysis Short / Medium / Long-Haul Distribution | March 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

202,744 March 2026 Departures YoY +25.20% MoM +73.95% Medium-Haul 146,138 March 2026 Departures YoY +24.79% MoM +68.23% Long-Haul 11,683 March 2026 Departures YoY +21.62% MoM +41.41% Flight Distribution by Range Category — March 2026 vs Comparatives

56.2% 40.5% 3.2% 56.1% 40.6% 3.3% 55.1% 41.0% 3.9% Short-Haul (≤500nm) Medium-Haul (500-2000nm) Long-Haul (>2000nm) Integrated Performance Insights March 2026 saw powerful broad-based year-over-year growth across all three range categories, confirming the sector's strong seasonal recovery. Short-haul led the expansion with +25.20% YoY growth to 202,744 flights, followed by Medium-haul at +24.79% (146,138 flights) and Long-haul at +21.62% (11,683 flights). All segments posted massive month-over-month gains, with Short-haul surging +73.95% MoM, Medium-haul climbing +68.23% MoM, and Long-haul rising +41.41% MoM. The uniformity of strong gains reflects the longer March calendar (31 days) combined with the spring seasonal rebound.

The Short-Haul segment (≤500nm), constituting the largest portion of the market at 202,744 flights, added over 40,800 departures year-over-year and nearly 86,000 flights month-over-month. The Medium-Haul segment (500-2000nm) followed with +29,000 YoY gains and +59,000 MoM gains, shedding February's weakness and restoring typical spring flight levels. The strength across all segments confirms broad-based recovery rather than a narrow rebound concentrated in any single category.

The share distribution in March 2026 shows Short-Haul accounting for 56.23% of operations, Medium-Haul at 40.53%, and Long-Haul at 3.24%. Compared to March 2025, the share mix has remained remarkably stable, with the structural composition of business aviation flight ranges showing minimal change. The powerful absolute volume growth suggests underlying demand strength rather than mix shift driving the recovery.

The comparative data across March 2026, February 2026, and March 2025 reveals the broad-based nature of the current recovery. The combined Medium and Long-Haul share in March 2026 stands at 43.77%, compared to 44.17% in March 2025 — a minimal shift indicating stable mission profile distribution. The sharp acceleration from February's weakened baseline (+70.3% global MoM) indicates that the February trough was transient rather than structural.

Operational efficiency analysis suggests the sector's production capacity has expanded substantially in March. With an average of 11,632 daily departures (up from February's 7,560), operators are back to full spring-season deployment. The Long-Haul segment's +41.41% MoM growth — while modest compared to Short/Medium-Haul's larger percentage moves — reflects the already-steadier nature of intercontinental mission profiles, which experience less seasonal variability than regional and intraregional flying.

Looking ahead, the uniform strength across all three range categories suggests the market has fully exited its winter trough and entered the typical spring-summer strong season. Short and Medium-Haul segments should sustain elevated volumes through April and May as corporate travel peaks, while Long-Haul is expected to maintain its structural growth trajectory driven by sustained intercontinental business demand.