Industry experts share insights on what buyers should account for when considering the purchase of an aircraft formerly used in a fractional aircraft ownership program. How can nasty surprises be avoided? Felipe Reisch explores…
Buying a pre-owned aircraft requires a meticulous review of its airframe, interior, and maintenance history, among many other variables. These are all the more essential when the aircraft in question is a retired fractional ownership plane. Here's why...
While purchasing a former fractional ownership aircraft must account for the same variables, one of the defining differences is the higher utilization of former fractionally-owned planes, even though they are usually relatively new aircraft. And this will inevitably impact the times and cycles of the engines, airframe, and most likely the wear and tear of the interior.
For those aircraft buyers who are thorough, and who hire the right expertise, there can be positive aspects to purchasing one of these pre-owned aircraft, and a competitive acquisition price tops the list.
Stephan Krainer, CEO at Austria-based Primus Avia, believes these aircraft present a compelling value proposition, for example. “They tend to be more reliable than similarly aged aircraft due to the meticulous care they receive from operators who are intimately familiar with their fleets,” he highlights.
Nevertheless, while H. Lee Rohde, III, President & CEO at New Hampshire-based Essex Aviation highlights that while there will be a reduced purchase price (due to the normally higher-than-average utilization of the aircraft), understanding where the engines are in their maintenance cycle is an important item to review.
“There will be a certain percentage of buyers when the aircraft’s owner goes to sell this aircraft, that will rule aircraft of this nature out as an option [preferring] other aircraft that have a more traditional utilization, and original engines that were delivered with the aircraft,” he adds.
This article was originally published by AvBuyer on January 15, 2025.