The business aviation industry continued its rebound in the second quarter, with overall flight hours increasing 5.2 percent since the first quarter and 8.5 percent year-over-year, according to the latest statistics from maintenance support provider JSSI. The Chicago-based company’s quarterly business aviation index tracks and reports on the global flight activity and utilization of nearly 2,000 business jets, turboprops and helicopters. It calculates the average flight hours flown per aircraft on a monthly basis, categorized by global region, industry and cabin type.

The construction sector and the power and energy sector recorded the largest gains in usage, up 15.6 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively, from the first quarter. Most welcome was an 18.2 percent rise in overall activity in Europe since the first quarter.            

“We are very encouraged to see that flight hours are at their highest levels since the early days of 2008,” said JSSI president and CEO Neil Book. “The two quarters of sustained growth that we have seen gives reason to be positive about the overall health of the global economy in 2017.”