Industry Insights

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
[email protected]

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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Written by Chad Anderson, Jetcraft President
[email protected]

With many buyers and sellers keen to complete their transactions before the new year, now is an opportune time for business jet owners to upgrade, and trading in a current aircraft can move an owner quickly into a model better suited to their mission(s).

An aircraft trade can be advantageous for many reasons, one of which is that it can free up capital so the owner can move more quickly toward acquiring a model more suitable for their changing needs. In such a case, an owner’s best course of action may be to partner with an expert consultant that can seamlessly facilitate the entire trade-in transaction, and move them into an upgraded aircraft quickly and efficiently.

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Jetcraft’s first-ever business aviation market forecast (free to download here) projects North American dominance of the global market throughout the coming decade. As the infographic above shows, aircraft deliveries to customers in North America are forecast to outpace the rest of the world combined, with 54% of the market.

Key analysis:

Our forecast is a bit different than some of the other business aviation market forecasts. Other forecasts are more optimistic about performance outside of North America, with many predicting deliveries from the rest of the world between 60-65% throughout the next 10 years. Jetcraft’s forecast sees North America leading the way, outperforming the rest of the world combined through 2024.

Our forecast also modulates a bit the emphasis on Asia-Pacific as a growth driver. Some of the softening of Asia-Pacific overall is due to the recent slowdown of the fast pace of economic growth in China, the nation that has been the primary driver of ai...

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Written by Scott Plumb, Jetcraft's former Senior Vice President of Sales

In the United States, “For Sale by Owner” (or FSBO) is a growing trend in residential real estate. Where the notion of buying or selling your own home without the use of a professional realtor or attorney would have been less common 20 years ago, these days as many as ten percent of US home sales are of the FSBO variety, according to the National Association of Realtors. The growth of the Internet as a powerful sales and listing tool are major drivers behind this trend in residential real estate, and in the purchase and sale of any goods or services, in the US and elsewhere. The Internet has made information more abundant, accessible, targetable and powerful for everyone, helping to foster the notion that anyone can be an educated buyer or a seller, and save the money otherwise paid for the guidance of experienced professionals.

Has the Internet done the same thing for the buying and selling of private a...

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Written by Scott Plumb, Jetcraft's former Senior Vice President of Sales

You have chartered several times, and you enjoy the flexibility that private aviation offers; the ability to travel productively and safely with colleagues and family, and still make it back to the office or home with time to spare. You are ready to consider the next step in private aviation – aircraft ownership.

Years ago, the trading of private aircraft was as simple as buying any other high-value asset, but in today’s more complicated world of licencing, tax credits and legal regulations,  merely contemplating this particular multi-million dollar purchase can be slightly nerve-wracking.  Many first-time buyers are intimated at the thought of such as large investment, with risk mitigation at the forefront.  And once your decision is made, how does one go about taking ownership of an aircraft? Here is a walkthrough of the acquisition process.

The first step begins with a series of face-to-face mee...

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