Your Private Jet Interior – Considering Your Needs, with an Eye on Future Resale

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.

Adding such an area later to facilitate resale would require a change to the floor plan, incurring heavy costs and a longer downtime for the aircraft. These major modifications can cost up to $2 million and take up to six months – an interminable duration when your aircraft is on the market.

Cabin Priorities and Customization

Making sure the cabin meets your needs for productivity, privacy and comfort is essential. That’s why I discuss cabin priorities early in the sales process, working with clients to identify their preferred floor plan that takes current needs, as well as future resale, into account.

A lot of cabin customization and/or refurbishment is possible, however, particularly in larger aircraft, which tend to have more room for amenities. Almost any type of cabin customization can be done, but here too, I encourage customers to keep future resale in mind when making decisions about interior colors, patterns or materials. Neutral tones are more common in corporate aircraft than bright colors that have more limited appeal.

When I present a jet for consideration, I also provide the pricing options and budgets for cabin enhancements and refurbishments in advance, anticipating my client’s needs. Jetcraft has extensive relationships with many suppliers, providers and specialists, and we can coordinate any required cabin adjustments up front so that they don’t slow down the sales process.

Key Questions to Ask

With so many cabin options available, it can be difficult to know where to start. A few basic questions can help you begin to define the floor plan and features you want in your aircraft:

• How will you most commonly use the cabin space? For example, do you need a conference grouping to have on-board meetings? Or do you prefer a divan and club seats?
• Where will you, as principal passenger, spend most of your time? If you prefer to have privacy in the aft cabin or an aft stateroom (pictured in header), consider a forward galley so that other passengers can eat and drink without disturbing you.
• Will you need high-speed connectivity?
• What will your budget be for cabin refurbishments, such as more comfortable seats or a shower (pictured)?

Satisfying your current requirements and setting yourself up for successful resale don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, most of the sound decisions you make for your aircraft will also benefit the future owner when you’re ready to sell. With a little consideration and guidance, you can choose, or configure, a cabin that achieves both goals.

Stateroom photo of 2006 Boeing BBJ S/N 35990. Crew rest photo of 2013 Global 6000 S/N 9515.