Pre-owned jet market stabilising, not slowing: Jetcraft CEO
He further said that the supply also tightened with 6.6% of the total fleet available for sale in the second quarter of 2026.
Aircraft brokerage firm Jetcraft said it is running about 15% ahead of its deal count from the same period last year, said Chad Anderson, CEO, Jetcraft in the company’s H1 report. Anderson also pushed back against the recent headlines suggesting the business aviation market has lost momentum.
“While some industry data seems to indicate a slowdown, we’re currently running around 15% ahead of our deal count at the same point last year. And the recent Q2 IADA report backs that up,” Anderson wrote. He argued that the market is undergoing a rational stabilisation rather than going through a downturn. This, he attributed to the easing post pandemic demand and increasing aircraft manufacturing business.
He said that the pandemic-era increase in pre-owned aircraft prices when prices escalated as demand crept up was unsustainable and has since corrected. He said that the prices have stabilised and buyers are a lot more selective but that doesn’t mean the market has slowed down.
Quoting aircraft market intelligence company JetNet data, he said the average number of days on market for sold aircraft fell from 215 in the first quarter of 2026 to 199 in the second quarter. This was a decline of about 7%.
He further said that the supply also tightened with 6.6% of the total fleet available for sale in the second quarter of 2026.
Anderson conceded that the stabilisation has reinforced a two-tier market in which later-model aircraft with low utilisation and well-documented maintenance histories transact efficiently. Meanwhile, he added that older aircraft facing higher operating costs require more pricing flexibility and longer marketing periods. He added that JetNet figures show average model year of aircraft currently on the market is 2003 compared to 2011 for aircraft that have sold.
The trend of new jet deliveries has also improved significantly with JetNet recording 158 new deliveries in the second quarter, up from 145 a year earlier Anderson said delivery slots for many programmes still extend into 2028 and beyond. This continues to make the pre-owned market the fastest route for corporations, entrepreneurs and family offices seeking aircraft on shorter timelines.
Sharing his views on the remainder of 2026, Anderson said Jetcraft is observing a gradual improvement in production rates, recovering inventory in some segments while US policy changes including the introduction of 100% bonus depreciation would encourage additional transactions.
Anderson said that business aviation remains cyclical but is supported by strong fundamentals than before the pandemic, including continued growth in global wealth and the increasing use of private aviation as a productivity tool rather than a discretionary luxury.
