Jetcraft CEO Says Pre-Owned Jet Market Is Stabilising, Not Slowing, as Deal Count Runs 15% Ahead of Last Year

Jetcraft CEO Chad Anderson said the firm's deal count is running approximately 15% ahead of last year, citing falling days-on-market and tighter supply as evidence of a stabilising, not slowing, pre-owned jet market.

Original report
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Industry impact

As pandemic-era price gains unwind, pre-owned jet transactions increasingly split between newer, well-documented aircraft that sell quickly and older aircraft needing pricing flexibility and longer marketing.

What happened

Jetcraft CEO Chad Anderson said the brokerage's deal count is running approximately 15% ahead of the same period last year, according to the company's first-half 2026 report. Anderson pushed back on industry narratives suggesting business aviation has lost momentum, describing the market instead as undergoing a rational stabilisation rather than a downturn.

Anderson attributed the shift to easing post-pandemic demand and rising aircraft manufacturing output, saying pandemic-era price escalation in the pre-owned segment was unsustainable and has since corrected, leaving prices stable and buyers more selective. Citing JetNet data, he said the average number of days on market for sold aircraft fell from 215 in Q1 2026 to 199 in Q2 2026, a decline of roughly 7%, while 6.6% of the total fleet was available for sale in Q2 2026.

Anderson said stabilisation has reinforced a two-tier market: later-model aircraft with low utilisation and well-documented maintenance histories are transacting efficiently, while older aircraft with higher operating costs require greater pricing flexibility and longer marketing periods. JetNet figures showed the average model year of aircraft currently listed for sale is 2003, compared with 2011 for aircraft that have sold. On new deliveries, JetNet recorded 158 in Q2 2026, up from 145 in Q2 2025, and Anderson noted that delivery slots for many programmes extend into 2028 and beyond. He said Jetcraft is observing gradual improvement in production rates and recovering inventory in some segments for the remainder of 2026, and that US policy changes, including the introduction of 100% bonus depreciation, are expected to encourage additional transactions. He added that business aviation remains cyclical but is supported by stronger fundamentals than before the pandemic, including continued growth in global wealth and increasing use of private aviation as a productivity tool.

Who this affects

• Aircraft Trading Companies — Falling days-on-market and tight available supply point to continued turnover in used aircraft, with younger inventory selling faster than older aircraft.
• Charter Brokers — Clients seeking aircraft faster than 2028 delivery slots are being pointed toward pre-owned inventory, though older aircraft may take longer to sell.
• Aircraft Finance & Leasing Companies — Pre-owned jet prices have stabilised after correcting from pandemic-era highs, giving lenders a steadier basis for residual value assessments.