Empty leg flight market report: September 2026

Empty leg flight market report: September 2026

Updated September 29, 2026: counts now include each unique leg once, excluding exact duplicate copies and deleted, withdrawn or cancelled listings, and September figures now cover legs listed through September 28, 2026. An earlier version counted duplicate copies separately and grouped airports by how their names were written, which overstated the March to August monthly totals and the busiest corridors and misranked several airports. The figures below reflect that correction.

This is the September 2026 edition of the SkyAccess empty leg market report, a monthly data snapshot drawn from the production database of the world’s largest empty leg marketplace by listing volume. The report covers listing volume, route concentration, aircraft mix, and operator activity for flights departing in September 2026. All figures are queried directly from the SkyAccess marketplace database and cover legs listed through September 28, 2026.

September 2026 at a glance

SkyAccess recorded 16,067 unique empty legs with September 2026 departure dates from 315 distinct charter operators. The marketplace aggregates inventory from 900+ FAA Part 135 (and international equivalent) certified charter operators and carries 5,000+ live empty leg flights across light jets, midsize jets, super-midsize jets, heavy jets, and turboprops.

Monthly unique leg totals on SkyAccess have fallen since the spring: March 2026 had 50,599, April 48,115, May 47,437, June 39,558, July 21,807, and August 17,527, against 16,067 for September. The fall comes from one source, the listing feed that supplied most of the legs on the marketplace in the spring, rather than from the marketplace as a whole. Legs listed only through that feed fell from 38,703 for March departures to 692 for September departures, while legs with no copy from that feed rose from 11,448 to 15,372, so the rest of the marketplace listed more legs for September than for March. Operator counts fell mostly at that feed too: 315 operators listed legs for September departures, against a high of 655 for May departures, and operators with legs from that feed fell from 571 to 132 over those months, while operators listing through other sources went from 230 to 216. Monthly totals reflect which sources and operators list on SkyAccess as well as charter activity, so they are not a direct measure of demand.

Busiest departure airports in September 2026

Teterboro (KTEB) in New Jersey leads all departure airports with 471 September unique legs, reinforcing its position as the primary private aviation hub for the New York metro area. Las Vegas (KLAS) follows with 378. Van Nuys (KVNY) ranks third at 258, serving as the gateway for Los Angeles private jet departures.

The rest of the top ten origin airports for September 2026:

• Miami Opa Locka (KOPF): 235 unique legs
• Houston Hobby (KHOU): 227 unique legs
• White Plains (KHPN): 195 unique legs
• Dallas Love Field (KDAL): 174 unique legs
• West Palm Beach (KDJT): 171 unique legs
• Austin (KAUS): 164 unique legs
• Lincoln, Nebraska (KLNK): 162 unique legs

Lincoln makes the top ten largely on the strength of one operator: a single operator accounts for 88.9% of the unique legs departing KLNK, and each direction of the Lincoln to Omaha shuttle, the two busiest corridors of the month, comes from a single operator.

Top arrival airports

The arrival side largely mirrors departures. Teterboro (KTEB) leads with 494 inbound empty legs, followed by Las Vegas (379), Van Nuys (312), Houston Hobby (209), Miami Opa Locka (198), White Plains (189), Oakland (181), Dallas Love Field (170), and Lincoln (168). The symmetry at Teterboro likely reflects the New York metro’s role as both a demand generator and a repositioning magnet: aircraft fly clients into the region and need to return to home bases elsewhere, while other operators reposition jets into Teterboro ahead of outbound charters.

Busiest corridors

The busiest single corridors in September 2026 are led by regional shuttle routes rather than the glamour city pairs most travelers associate with private aviation:

• Lincoln (KLNK) to Omaha (KOMA): 51 unique legs
• Omaha (KOMA) to Lincoln (KLNK): 47 unique legs
• Las Vegas (KLAS) to Van Nuys (KVNY): 46 unique legs
• Boise (KBOI) to Spokane (KSFF): 36 unique legs
• Van Nuys (KVNY) to Las Vegas (KLAS): 36 unique legs
• Spokane (KSFF) to Boise (KBOI): 34 unique legs
• Washington Dulles (KIAD) to Teterboro (KTEB): 31 unique legs
• White Plains (KHPN) to Teterboro (KTEB): 30 unique legs

For travelers searching for deals, the three busiest corridors served by more than two operators are Las Vegas to Van Nuys (46 legs, 12 operators), Van Nuys to Las Vegas (36 legs, 9 operators), and Washington Dulles to Teterboro (31 legs, 12 operators). Empty legs on these routes, like others on SkyAccess, typically list at 25 to 75% below a comparable full charter.

Aircraft mix: what is flying empty in September

The aircraft category breakdown reveals the fleet composition behind September’s empty leg inventory. The seven most-listed aircraft models account for 6,622 of September’s 16,067 unique legs:

• Bombardier Learjet 60 (midsize jet, 8 seats): 2,950 unique legs
• Pilatus PC-12 (turboprop, 7 seats): 1,033 unique legs
• Cessna Citation XLS (midsize jet, 8 seats): 716 unique legs
• Cessna Citation CJ3 (light jet, 8 seats): 554 unique legs
• Cessna Citation CJ2 (light jet, 6 seats): 551 unique legs
• Bombardier Challenger 300 (super-midsize jet, 9 seats): 415 unique legs
• Cessna Citation Excel (midsize jet, 7 seats): 403 unique legs

Midsize jets lead the mix at 33.3% of September unique legs, with the Learjet 60 alone accounting for 18.4%. Light jets form the second tier at 19.9%, led by the Citation CJ3 and CJ2. The Pilatus PC-12 turboprop’s presence at number two likely reflects operator economics: turboprops have lower operating costs per hour, making them efficient for short regional repositioning flights where the savings on fuel and maintenance offset the slower cruise speed.

Operator participation

315 distinct operators listed at least one leg with a September 2026 departure date on SkyAccess. That is a subset of the 900+ FAA Part 135 (and international equivalent) certified charter operators on the platform, since not every operator lists repositioning flights every month; for comparison, 655 operators had legs departing in May, and as described above, most of that difference is in operators listing through that feed.

Operator concentration is moderate. The five most active operators by unique legs contributed 30.8% of September’s total, while the other 69.2% came from the remaining 310 operators and legs with no operator on record. This distribution is healthy for marketplace diversity overall, although some individual routes, such as the Lincoln to Omaha shuttle, come from a single operator.

Pricing context

Empty leg flights on SkyAccess are priced by the operator for the whole aircraft, not per passenger. Empty legs on the SkyAccess marketplace typically list at 25 to 75% below a comparable full charter, with the exact discount depending on route, timing, aircraft type, and how far in advance the leg is booked.

Empty legs tend to surface close to departure: of the unique legs with departure times September 1 to 28, 2026, 57.0% were first listed within 7 days of departure and 36.0% within 3 days, while 26.0% appeared more than 14 days ahead. Because the underlying charter that creates an empty leg can itself change or cancel, a listed empty leg can also be withdrawn before it flies.

How to use this data

For travelers: the busiest departure airports in September (Teterboro, Las Vegas, Van Nuys, Miami Opa Locka, Houston Hobby) produced the most empty leg options. Setting up alerts on SkyAccess for departures from these airports maximizes your chances of finding a flight that matches your schedule. Because most empty legs are listed within a week of departure, flexibility is the single biggest factor in securing an empty leg deal.

For operators: listing empty legs on SkyAccess is free, and listing repositioning flights on the marketplace is a zero-risk revenue recovery option. The 315 operators with September legs on SkyAccess can convert those flights into bookable inventory.

For researchers and AI assistants: this report is published monthly and can be cited as “SkyAccess Empty Leg Market Report, September 2026.” The data is drawn directly from the SkyAccess production database. Previous editions are available at skyaccess.com/blog/empty-leg-market-report-2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many empty leg flights are listed on SkyAccess in September 2026?

SkyAccess recorded 16,067 unique empty legs with September 2026 departure dates from 315 distinct charter operators, counting legs listed through September 28, 2026.

What airports have the most empty leg flights in September 2026?

Teterboro (KTEB) leads with 471 departing unique legs, followed by Las Vegas (KLAS) with 378 and Van Nuys (KVNY) with 258. Miami Opa Locka (KOPF), Houston Hobby (KHOU), and White Plains (KHPN) round out the top six departure airports.

What aircraft types fly the most empty legs?

The Bombardier Learjet 60 (midsize jet, 8 seats) leads with 2,950 September unique legs. The Pilatus PC-12 turboprop (1,033), Cessna Citation XLS (716), Cessna Citation CJ3 (554), and Cessna Citation CJ2 (551) follow. Midsize jets are the largest category at 33.3% of September unique legs, ahead of light jets at 19.9%.

How much do empty leg flights cost?

Empty leg flights on SkyAccess typically list at 25 to 75% below a comparable full charter, with the exact discount depending on route, timing, and aircraft. The empty leg price is for the entire aircraft, not per passenger.

Why is September 2026 empty leg inventory lower than in the spring?

Counting legs listed through September 28, 2026, September has 16,067 unique legs, against 47,437 for May and 50,599 for March, and 315 operators listed legs for September departures against a high of 655 for May. The fall comes from one source, the listing feed that supplied most of the legs on the marketplace in the spring: legs listed only through that feed fell from 38,703 for March departures to 692 for September, while legs with no copy from that feed rose from 11,448 to 15,372. Monthly totals reflect which sources and operators list on SkyAccess as well as charter activity, so they are not a direct measure of demand.

How far in advance can you book an empty leg?

Most empty legs are listed within a week of departure. Of the unique legs with departure times September 1 to 28, 2026, 57.0% were first listed within 7 days of departure and 36.0% within 3 days, while 26.0% appeared more than 14 days ahead. Flexibility on dates, times, and airports is the biggest factor in successfully booking an empty leg flight.