The Asia-Pacific market continues to show signs of business aviation growth, and we are tracking promising activity throughout the region. Jetcraft’s 10 Year Market Forecast predicts Asia-Pacific will remain one of the most active of the emerging markets (and the third-largest business aviation market behind North America and Europe), accounting for 10% of unit deliveries from 2016-2025 (789 units). As we closed 2016, the best year in our company’s 55-year history, Asia-Pacific accounted for approximately 20% of our results, on par with Europe.

One of the key drivers for Asia-Pacific’s business aviation sales activity, from our perspective, is a greater acceptance of pre-owned aircraft among buyers as well as an increase in the number of first-time sellers in the market. It remains a region where buyers are inclined to purchase new aircraft, but there is a significant shift in attitude, where buyers are acquiring pre-owned aircraft in greater numbers and with growing confidenc...

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Ryan Shannon, Corporate Council, Jetcraft
Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA

How long have you been at Jetcraft?

Close to 5 years (since June, 2012).

What are your responsibilities within the global Jetcraft team?

I handle most of the day-to-day legal matters for Jetcraft, including internal corporate matters, vendor agreements, employment agreements, etc. I also work on aircraft acquisition and sale matters, with a primary focus on Jetcraft’s owned aircraft inventory and trade transactions.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

I spend the majority of my time working on aircraft transactions. This entails drafting letters of intent, aircraft purchase agreements and ancillary documents, and negotiating the terms with buyers and sellers. I begin a typical day by reviewing emails and prioritizing my workload, and then drafting or revising various agreements related to our pending aircraft transactions. In the run-up to a closing, there is a lot of email and telephone correspondence with my colleagues and other parties as we get everything in place. I also spend a fair amount of time coordinating with Peter Antonenko (COO) and Chad Anderson (President) on deal matters and taking direction from them on which ones need focus.

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Product Overview

The Gulfstream G450 is a direct descendent of the Gulfstream G400/GIV-SP series. It comes with upgraded engines (Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8C) with FADEC, and redesigned thrust reverser, nacelle and pylon that, coupled with aerodynamic improvements, increase range and payload.

As of November 2016, 33% of the Gulfstream G450 aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 67% new. Currently 8.5% are for sale with the majority of those (76%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average time on the market is 244 days.

Brief History

Flight-testing of the Gulfstream G450 started in April 2003 and FAA certification was completed in August 2004. A total of 342 Gulfstream G450 aircraft have been manufactured, all are still in operation today. Production of the G450 will end in early 2018 as Gulfstream transitions production to its new G500.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 342 Gulfstream G450 aircraft in operation today. Most of these are wholly owned (321) with 5 in shared and 16 in fractional ownership. 15% of the 342 are currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of G450 aircraft (58%), followed by Asia (29%) and Europe (9%).

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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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Karen Watkins, Jetcraft
Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA

How long have you been at Jetcraft?

I joined the Jetcraft family in September 2014 as an Administrative Assistant. My role is office administration in our Minneapolis office. I directly support the President, COO and transaction team.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

Part of what I love about my job is that no two days are ever the same. My daily tasks vary each day depending on the needs of the company. I do everything from assisting with processing aircraft closing documents to answering calls to booking company travel.

What do you love most about your job?

The industry as a whole is so interesting and exciting that I find it difficult to pinpoint what I love most. There are so many things about my job that I truly love! One unexpected thing that this job has given me is the opportunity to see parts of the world I had only dreamt about before, which I am truly grateful for.

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Product Overview

The Hawker 850XP is identical to the Hawker 800XP except it has upgraded avionics, a redesigned cabin interior (within the same 551 cubic foot space), and includes winglets that have increased its range by 140 nautical miles with four passengers and available fuel. The balance field length is shorter at 5,640 feet and the long range cruise speed has increased to 402 kts from 389 kts over the Hawker 800XP.

As of December 2016, 67% of the Hawker 850XP aircraft were purchased pre-owned by their current owners, the other 33% new. Currently, 8.1% are for sale with a portion of those (50%) under an exclusive broker agreement. When for sale, the average number of days on the market is 450 days.

Brief History

Certified in 2006, the Hawker 850XP is the third member of the 800 series. A total of 100 Hawker 850XP aircraft have been manufactured with all but one in operation.

Worldwide Appeal

There are 99 Hawker 850XP aircraft in operation today.  Most of these are wholly owned (97) with 2 shared. 17% of the 99 are currently leased. North America has the largest percentage of Hawker 850XP aircraft (63%), followed by Asia (17%) and Europe (11%).

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Written by Mick Doohan, Authorised Sales Representative, Australia/New Zealand
[email protected]

It is no secret that flying private has its advantages over commercial, but how can a company convince its stakeholders of acquiring and maintaining such a large corporate expense?

In most cases, it comes down to saving time and increasing productivity—two factors that always resonate with a company’s board of directors.

Difficulty in gaining buy-in for a corporate jet can stem from many areas: concern about appearing extravagant, stakeholders objecting to such company spending or potential negative public relations issues, as some corporations have experienced in the past. But the benefits of private aviation in most cases can outweigh such concerns and justify executives flying via the company’s private aircraft as ultimately being a highly beneficial business decision.

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On 25 January 2017, Jetcraft Chairman Jahid Fazal-Karim spoke with Sally Bundock and Rachel Horne on BBC Business Live. Below is a transcript of the interview.

Host intro:

Now let’s get to the inside track on how the worlds top business leaders get a ride. We’re talking corporate jets and private planes. They can be the fastest way to get between back-to-back meetings in different countries.

The market is quite a tricky one as you can imagine. Jet inventory is rising as manufacturers churn out hundreds of these jets a year. And once it’s been bought, the value of a jet falls rapidly but aircraft broker Jetcraft says that the resale market is still strong with large ultra-long-range aircraft particularly popular among business jet buyers. These types of large cabin jets can link nearly any two points in the globe.

Now, let’s talk to a man that knows all about this, Jahid Fazal-Karim, who is the co-owner and Chairman of the Board at Jetcraft. Good morning and welcome to Business Live.

Jahid: Good morning.

Host: Now before we talk about your business and what it does right now, let’s talk about your story. You escaped civil war at a very young age, at the age of 8, in Madagascar. What happened next and where did you go?

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Shariff Narayanin, former Jetcraft Sales Representative
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

How long have you been at Jetcraft?

It was one year ago that I joined the Jetcraft family. After 20 years of working in flight operations (and close to 9,000 flight hours), I was lucky to be given a chance at learning the difficult world of aircraft sales.

What are your responsibilities within the global Jetcraft team?

I support the team by identifying and engaging new leads in South East Asia, mainly Indonesia (the country I call home). I work under the guidance of David Dixon whose experience and knowledge of the territory have been invaluable to me.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

There is nothing typical about my week. I spend most of my time in Jakarta and around South East Asia chasing new prospects. A day could be made up of calling a potential lead in the morning, touching base with a contact at lunch time, then getting refreshed and ready to attend a long evening event to further an existing business relationship. I may spend several hours in traffic getting to an appointment, or experience a weekend in a remote forest, an island, or a Formula One track. I am always following that customer who never stops in one place.

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