You’ve decided to buy a business aircraft – what now? Gerrard Cowan asks industry experts to outline the key questions for prospective buyers before they make their offer on a business airplane...
The precise issues to cover will depend on the aircraft buyer involved and the nature of their requirements. Nevertheless, there are several key aspects that anyone who’s interested in acquiring a business aircraft needs to consider.
Following are five key questions all business aircraft buyers should ask before making an offer on an aircraft of interest, according to a selection of industry professionals...
1. Is it the Right Aircraft for Me?
While it can be very easy to get caught up with an aircraft’s ‘ramp appeal’, the first and most critical question to ask yourself is ‘What’s my mission?’, according to Casey Miller, President of Latitude 33 Aviation.
Ramp appeal will soon fade if the aircraft is not capable of efficiently flying the mission needs it was purchased to fulfil. Equally, without keeping a firm handle on your flying needs, it is possible to overpay for a larger and more capable plane than you need.
“You want a jet that can fulfill at least 80% of your typical flight needs. If you’re chasing that extra 20%, you might end up with a larger, more expensive aircraft than you truly require,” Miller warns.
Take the example of a US buyer whose planned flights are mostly domestic (say 80%), with only occasional need (20%) for long-range flights with high-density seating requirements.
“Purchasing a plane that can also accomplish the latter will exponentially increase the acquisition and annual operating costs,” he highlights. “Instead, purchase the plane that is capable of your 80%, and charter other planes to accomplish the 20% - you will be far better off financially.”
It is wasteful to “buy a large Gulfstream if you are just hopping around local airports, even if you have the funds to buy one,” Steve Rogers, Managing Director of Aradian Aviation, argues.
By the same token, it is no good having something that lacks the range for longer trips if you will need them, even occasionally. “But how often are you going to do the longer trips? You can always stop for fuel if they are just once or so a month.”
Moreover, a potential aircraft owner should assess how many hours they’ve flown over the preceding 12-24 months and assess whether this is expected to change, according to Max Hooper, Co-Founder at Corporate Jet Consulting (CJC).
And they should look for any trends in terms of the distance flown or the number of passengers they typically carry. “Straight away this will narrow the number of aircraft which could suit their mission profile,” he notes.
Keller Laseter, Chief Commercial Officer at FLYING Finance, suggests buyers should analyze such details as the typical routes they plan to fly, passenger capacity requirements, runway accessibility and range.
“If the jet cannot accommodate their primary travel demands efficiently, it might lead to operational challenges, or unnecessary expenses (such as chartering), or having to go to an airport further away that meets the performance of the aircraft being used,” he warns.
This article was originally published by AvBuyer on February 3, 2025.