Pascal Bachmann

If you want to survive and thrive in turbulent times, you need to be flexible, inventive and tenacious. The business aviation industry is no exception. It requires clever thinking to close major deals during Covid-19.

Bringing buyers and aircraft together safely for viewings during lockdown has been a challenge, but it’s hard for clients to place a deposit on a multi-million-dollar private jet they haven’t seen in person. In some cases, we’ve used high-resolution photos and video to bring the viewing experience to the customer. In others, we’ve flown the aircraft directly to the buyer’s hometown for a viewing.

I’m proud to say that Jetcraft recently facilitated the closing of a US-based Embraer Legacy 450 aircraft in a record-breaking seven days.  This is not typical, though.  Every deal is different, and whatever logistical challenges we face, they can be overcome with a little imagination. A complex European sale of a Dassault Falcon 7X, which closed on April 1, is one such example.

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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.

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Gray skies and threatening thunderstorms couldn’t dampen spirits at EBACE 2018 in Geneva. The mood was buoyant and the good feeling that came out of NBAA-BACE in October has clearly extended to Europe, as demonstrated by the show’s big announcements.

The Show Daily publications touted the unveiling of Bombardier’s Global 5500 and 6500 aircraft as ‘business aviation’s best-kept secret’, bringing upgraded options to the super-large and ultra-long-range market segments. Concurrently, Rolls Royce announced its re-entry to business aviation with the Pearl engine that will power the two Bombardier business jets.

Embraer’s press conference saw the announcement that the OEM is to become the first business jet customer for ViaSat’s Ka-band in-flight connectivity service, delivering 16MBps to the aircraft, enabling passengers to stream content and live TV – a bonus for the longer journeys that passengers are making.

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The business aviation industry today is showing continued signs of growth, and improved business conditions are creating a favorable environment for individuals and corporations who may have postponed such transactions during the economic downturn to again consider making the high-value investment of procuring an aircraft.

As with any purchase, paying cash is the easiest way to close a transaction. Another option may be for owners to complete an aircraft trade-in transaction which can free up capital so the owner can move more quickly toward acquiring a model more suitable for their changing needs. Some experts, however, advise that even if an individual or corporation has enough cash available or an asset they can trade in, it may make more financial sense in certain instances to either finance or lease the aircraft.

Many aircraft financing institutions focus on the ability of the client to repay the financing. It does not mean they do not care about the aircraft itself, but r...

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