Demand for private jets is on the rise amid the government shutdown

Demand for flights on private jets has soared during the U.S. government shutdown as problems for commercial air travel worsen, the CEO of private jet leasing and fractional ownership company Flexjet told CNBC.

More than 17,000 U.S. commercial flights were delayed over the weekend, in part due to significant staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities coast-to-coast, according to FlightAware. That was in addition to several hundred previously planned cancellations after the Trump administration last week ordered US commercial airlines to reduce flight schedules at 40 major US airports by an initial 4%, with the possibility of increasing to as much as 10% by the end of the week, blaming air traffic controllers for the stress.

The Senate made progress toward a potential agreement to end the shutdown over the weekend and into Monday, but the agreement will still need approval from Congress.

Air traffic controllers are required to work during the lockdown, but like other essential employees, they have been working without their regular pay since it began on October 1.

The unrest has prompted travelers across the country to look for alternatives. Car rental company Hertz A one-way rent increase was recorded late last week.

Demand for private jets is already up from a year ago, but bookings have risen in recent weeks, according to Flexjet.

In the first seven days of November, Flexjet’s fractional ownership and aircraft leasing businesses posted a 42% increase in revenue hours over the same period last year, compared with an increase of about 20% so far this year, the company said.

“It means our aircraft owners and lessees are using their planes more. It went up in October, and it’s continuing to go up,” Flexjet co-CEO Andrew Collins said in an interview on Saturday. The company said that flying hours last month increased by 23% compared to last year.

Other major private jet providers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Flexjet charterer, FXAIR, saw a 56% jump in revenue hours last month compared to October 2024, while year-to-date they are up 17% from last year.

Flexjet’s Sentient Jet unit, which sells tickets starting at $174,375 for 25 hours on light business jets, has 24% more revenue hours booked for the rest of November than for the same period last year.

Collins cautioned that it was too early to draw a conclusion about the surge resulting from the shutdown, but said he had seen the company’s partial aircraft charterers book more at the last minute, within 10 hours.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday plans to limit private jet traffic at 12 major U.S. airports, the National Business Aviation Association said late Sunday.

The FAA’s original order last week did not require private aviation to cut flights specifically in the way commercial airlines were ordered.