There are signs that the used aircraft market has hit bottom.
Anyone who makes their profession within the business aviation industry is well aware of what happened to seemingly everything we touch relative to business aircraft as a result of the pandemic. During that time of uncertainty, everything became scarce and expensive.
Now, nearly four years later, we all can likely agree that things have loosened up for a vast majority of us who work in and around business aircraft—to a certain degree. I cannot speak to all sectors of the industry, but I can speak to the aircraft resale market. Let’s look back and also forward to see where it puts us now.
Depending on the source of the data chosen, it will show in approximate terms that the supply of for-sale preowned business aircraft was at an all-time low in early 2022, at approximately 2 percent of the fleet. It hit a high of about 6 percent four months ago and, at present, it is just off that high. What we have defined as “normal” in years past is approximately 7 to 8 percent of the fleet for sale at any given time. But it makes me wonder: is 6 percent the “new normal”?
This article was written by Leading Edge Aviation Solutions and originally published in Aviation International News AINsight on March 22, 2024.
