Flight Range Analysis

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

222,880 May 2026 Departures YoY +27.62% MoM +32.82% Medium-Haul 139,048 May 2026 Departures YoY +26.60% MoM +26.73% Long-Haul 12,237 May 2026 Departures YoY +13.74% MoM +30.31% Flight Distribution by Range Category — May 2026 vs Comparatives

59.6% 37.1% 3.3% 59.2% 37.2% 3.6% 58.5% 38.2% 3.3% Short-Haul (≤500nm) Medium-Haul (500-2000nm) Long-Haul (>2000nm) Integrated Performance Insights May 2026 saw broad-based year-over-year expansion across all three range categories, with strength evident at every mission length. Short-haul rose +27.62% YoY to 222,880 flights, Medium-haul gained +26.60% to 139,048 flights, and Long-haul advanced +13.74% to 12,237 flights. All segments also posted strong month-over-month gains over April, with Short-haul +32.82% MoM, Medium-haul +26.73% MoM, and Long-haul +30.31% MoM. The breadth of growth across mission types signals a genuine demand surge rather than a narrow segment effect.

The Short-Haul segment (≤500nm), constituting the largest portion of the market at 222,880 flights, added 48,235 departures year-over-year and 55,079 flights month-over-month. The Medium-Haul segment (500-2000nm) followed with +29,215 YoY gains and +29,324 MoM gains. The Long-Haul segment (>2000nm) added 1,478 flights YoY and 2,846 MoM, with its +30.31% MoM rebound underscoring renewed appetite for longer intercontinental missions.

The share distribution in May 2026 shows Short-Haul accounting for 59.57% of operations, Medium-Haul at 37.16%, and Long-Haul at 3.27%. Compared to May 2025, Short-haul share edged up while Long-haul share eased slightly, reflecting the breadth of the rebound across both regional and longer-range flying.

The comparative data across May 2026, April 2026, and May 2025 reveals stable structural composition with a marginal tilt toward shorter-range operations. The combined Medium and Long-Haul share in May 2026 stands at 40.43%, compared to 40.84% in May 2025 — a minimal shift indicating stable mission-profile distribution alongside the strong absolute volume expansion. The +30.39% MoM global gain is broadly proportional across all three categories, indicating a genuine demand uplift rather than category-specific concentration.

Operational efficiency analysis suggests the sector's production capacity has expanded markedly in May. With an average of 12,073 daily departures (up from April's 9,567 and well above the 2025 baseline of roughly 9,490), operators have ramped to peak deployment levels. The Long-Haul segment's +13.74% YoY growth — the most modest among the three categories — suggests intercontinental demand is recovering steadily, even as short- and medium-haul flying leads the acceleration.

Looking ahead, the broad-based strength across all three range categories points to sustained momentum heading into June. June 2025's baseline of 296,041 departures sets the next benchmark, and May's record print provides ample cushion to extend YTD positive growth. Short and Medium-Haul segments should continue to anchor volume, while Long-Haul gains will hinge on the durability of international business travel demand.