Stability reigns in EMEA

The EMEA region is remarkably consistent across each market, considering how divergent the social, political and economic landscapes are. This makes it a very interesting area to operate within.

In recent years, stability has been the overriding trend across all EMEA markets, despite geopolitical tensions in the Middle East; economic stagnation in parts of Europe; and a lack of progress on business aviation infrastructure in Africa.

This stability speaks to the strength of business aviation globally, and the value private aircraft bring to our customers. The challenges in each region have resulted in new areas of opportunity for Jetcraft.

In the Middle East, more jets are being sold out of the region overall than are being placed within it. These aircraft are finding willing buyers in Europe and particularly the US, which remains the world’s largest business aviation market.

In Europe, the traditionally strong markets of France, Germany, Austria and the UK continue to perform well; with bright spots in emerging markets such as Poland.

Buyer profiles vary between the EMEA regions, with corporate buyers making up the majority in Europe; individual buyers driving most purchase decisions in the Middle East; and a split between the two buyer types in Africa.

Nevertheless, all buyers are following the trend towards choosing larger models, with long-range and ultra-long-range jets leading the field due to a rise in global business travel. These aircraft types have always been popular in Africa due to a limited number of airports for private aviation, combined with the vast size of the continent.

Infrastructure challenges are not unique to younger markets such as Africa. In Europe, air traffic controllers and airports must balance the limited number of slots available with the growing demands of commercial aircraft and private jet users.

Ultimately, Europe, the Middle East and Africa remain strong and stable markets. In spite of their differences, we expect this trend to continue into 2020 and beyond.