✈️ PC-24 Active Fleet Surges 66% Year-Over-Year, Dual Civil-Military Expansion Reshapes Light Jet Landscape
Avi-Go data shows that the global active fleet of Pilatus PC-24 aircraft has jumped from 164 units in the same period of 2025 to 272 units in 2026, representing a 65.9% increase and a net addition of 108 aircraft, making it one of the fastest-growing types in the current light jet market. On the civil side, UK flight activity in 2026 grew 42.4% year-over-year, Italy grew 33.5%, and Europe's share of overall operations continues to expand; Brazil entered the global Top 10 for operations with 457 flights for the first time, marking the formal opening of the Latin American market. On the military side, the French Navy took delivery of its first PC-24 in May 2026 through a Jet Aviation lease arrangement, with two additional aircraft scheduled for delivery within 2026; Indonesia's Ministry of Defense also ordered 12 aircraft between March and April 2026 for transport and pilot training purposes. According to AIN, France had already disclosed plans to procure three modified PC-24s as early as October 2025.
Impact: The French Navy's "lease plus bundled maintenance" procurement model provides other nations' armed forces with a replicable, low-barrier entry pathway, which is expected to accelerate PC-24 penetration into government and paramilitary markets. Simultaneously strengthening flight activity across multiple European countries, combined with the emergence of Latin American markets, will drive demand for reallocation of regional MRO and crew training resources.
Recommendation: MRO service providers should prioritize assessing PC-24 maintenance and support positioning in Europe and Brazil before Q3 2026, with particular focus on partnership opportunities in Italy and the UK as the two highest-growth markets. Operators or brokers seeking to enter the government/military market may reference Jet Aviation's lease structure to proactively engage defense procurement authorities in Southeast Asia and the Middle East during the second half of 2026, in order to secure an early negotiating window.