Industry Insights

With prices at historic lows, inventories high, and retrofit options able to transform old airframes into like-new airplanes, will there ever be a better time to buy a preowned aircraft? Possibly, should the long slide in preowned prices that began in 2008 continue. Still, great opportunities for buyers await right now. Just be sure you enlist the help of a broker who possesses the technology that has become so crucial to these deals.

“Top-tier brokers have a lot of technology behind them to manage the sales process for their clients,” says aviation attorney Paul Lange, a party to many business jet transactions. “That’s really a big difference between the larger brokers and the mom-and-pops.”

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Purchasing the right aircraft, at the right price, with the right terms, and avoiding unpleasant surprises can be a daunting process. Unfortunately, because of this, some aircraft buyers do occasionally make mistakes in their buying journey. Here is our advice on watching out for the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Don’t Base the Purchase Solely on Price—Some buyers believe that buying the cheapest is always the best option. Instead, buyers should purchase a well-maintained aircraft with a good pedigree (not too many owners, with a solid manufacturer’s maintenance program, and service performed at an authorized center that kept well documented aircraft records and engine logs), rather than looking for a bargain deal. If not, it could leave buyers with additional maintenance costs down the road. It is important that a buyer knows whether or not the aircraft for purchase is enrolled in a manufacturer maintenance plan, or if there is any remaining warranty that can be transferred.

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Written by Marius Breitenbach, Sales Director
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When the time comes to sell your business jet, what are some critical factors you need to consider before placing the aircraft on the market to ensure you maintain control of the transaction process, achieve a successful outcome and minimize your deal costs?

Many owners make the decision to sell their aircraft based on the expectation of a future event, whether that is a new aircraft coming on the market, the end of a lease, or the sale or expansion of their company. It is often found that the event driving the decision has a specific date for closing, and this is also the desired date for the sale of the current aircraft.

As a seller of a corporate aircraft, the benefits of properly preparing a sound game plan for putting your jet on the market comes down to appropriate long-term planning. Such a strategy should be cornerstoned by a well thought-out business plan, which strategically takes into account market conditions and your company’s growth. Most importantly, knowing the true value of your aircraft in today’s marketplace is an essential first step toward a successful sale.

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Written by Chad Anderson, Jetcraft President
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With so much focus on the surging North American business aviation market, we should not forget Europe. Even though strict rules on lending practices and continuing currency issues do pose some challenges, Europe continues to show economic resilience. The continent still has buyers and sellers, although fewer than previous years.

Despite such challenges, we continue to see activity in the European business aviation sector as it comfortably remains the second largest market next to North America. The European business aircraft fleet is one of the world’s youngest, with close to half of its aircraft being less than ten years old. In addition, transaction activity remains steady-state for Europe. Our own market analysis points to Europe accounting for 14% of the total worldwide business aircraft deliveries throughout the next decade— not far from its traditional 15%-unit delivery share.  Such activity reinforces the fact that Europe remains a healthy place to do business. And we see activity primarily from North America fueling Europe’s business jet engines.

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Written by Chris Brenner, Jetcraft’s former Sales Director, North America – Upper Midwest

The business aviation industry continues to show signs of recovery after years of recession, but it is modest and mixed. Operators continue to focus on larger-cabin aircraft classes, ranging from super mid-size through ultra long-range, which are expected to account for the majority of transactions for new business jets in the near term. Deals being executed in North America, Europe and Asia are leading the majority of the industry’s resurgence.

The most significant drivers of growth for large, long-range business jets sales throughout these regions include GDP growth, fleet replacement, and the expansion and most importantly the globalization of international business and commerce into developing regions. For example, Chinese business activities continue to grow in Africa, with investments in the continent’s mining and agriculture sectors. Chinese investors and corporate leaders are turning to long-range business jets to travel to southern Africa and conduct their business in the most efficient way, as we already have seen an increase of new Global 5000 and 6000 deliveries. Such continued wealth creation, coupled with aviation infrastructure development, is expected to accelerate the use of long-range business aircraft dramatically from levels seen today.

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Jahid Fazal-Karim, co-owner and chairman of the board at Jetcraft, discusses the private aviation sector, how it’s being impacted by China’s slowdown and the prospects for private aircraft. Read more →

Written by David Dixon, President, Jetcraft Asia
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The Asia-Pacific region, though currently tempered somewhat by China’s economic challenges, should not be discounted by the business aviation industry. Where China dominated attention in years past, focus today takes into account growth more broadly, encompassing nations such as the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Today, Asian business leaders and many governments are realizing the benefits that business aircraft can offer in terms of stimulating their economies and contributing to long-term regional growth. Jetcraft’s 10-year Market Outlook report projects that Asia-Pacific will account for 12% of the business aircraft deliveries total worldwide through 2024, representing 1,050 units.

Indeed, this is the time of year when much attention across our industry turns to Asia. Key tradeshows and exhibitions are underway, such as the Singapore Airshow that occurred last month, and the upcoming annual ABACE 2016 event taking place in Shanghai next month.

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Written by Fabrice Roger, former Jetcraft Sales Director, Latin America

When buying a corporate aircraft, the needs of the principal passenger are paramount. Nowhere is this sentiment more evident than in the cabin, where the principal passenger spends all of his or her time. Customizing the aircraft interior to meet typical mission profiles and needs shouldn’t be an afterthought. As a future aircraft owner, the customization decisions you make during the purchasing phase can pay dividends down the road when you are ready to sell.

For instance, if you purchase a new long-range aircraft, which is capable of trans-oceanic-range missions, but plan to use it for flights of no longer than seven hours, you might consider not equipping it with a crew rest area (pictured). That decision could prove to be a handicap when it’s time to sell the aircraft. Many potential buyers would want to use the aircraft to its fullest capacity for longer, non-stop flights of eight hours and up. And depending on the region, a crew rest area might be required by the respective Civil Aviation Authority for the longer trips.

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Written by Chad Anderson, Jetcraft President
[email protected]

Year-end is a good time to sell your aircraft and remove it from your books for the new year as a corporate (or personal) asset. Once you’ve decided that you are ready to sell, there are several key pieces of advice to keep in mind in order to sell your aircraft for the best price possible. This will help you prepare your aircraft for sale on terms that you will be comfortable with.

1. Work with an Experienced Partner

According to the National Aircraft Resale Association, 14 percent of airplane owners don’t enlist the services of an expert with transactional aircraft experience to handle their sales. While some in that group are corporate flight departments or others with the requisite knowledge, a considerable number are less experienced people who may be outside of their comfort zone.

It is inadvisable to take on the unnecessary risk of trying to sell your aircraft without the full knowledge of its worth and a thorough understanding of how it fits into the marketplace. For example, how is interest in your class or manufacturer of aircraft trending? Are there buyers in other regions of the world who would pay a higher premium for your aircraft on the market? Having answers to these types of questions can dramatically improve your chances of obtaining the best possible sales price for your aircraft.

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