Preowned jet demand holds, but older aircraft take 100-plus days to sell

The latest reports from IADA and JETNET show preowned demand holding up, with transaction speed increasingly depending on aircraft age, condition, maintenance status and supportability. IADA's third-quarter report shows accredited dealers completed 1,155 transactions in the first nine months of the year compared with 983 during the same period last year, a gain of about 17.5%. Third-quarter transactions rose to 409 from 367 a year ago. The organization's buyer-seller index fell to 2.65 from 3.16 a year earlier, indicating the strongest seller advantage in nearly three years. JETNET's count is more muted: 2,806 preowned business-jet transactions during the trailing 12 months through September, a 1.8% increase, with growth cooling from above 15% in December. Large-cabin jets stood out with transaction growth of 14.6%, while their average asking price eased to $14.66 million. JETNET reports aircraft between zero and five years old selling in approximately 48 days. Every aircraft age group from 16 years and older exceeds 100 days on the market. Newer aircraft generally are in higher demand and typically present fewer unknowns involving major inspections, aging avionics, component availability, and future maintenance exposure. IADA and its dealers are seeing the same trend through a different lens. IADA Executive Director Lou Seno says pricing is increasingly tied to aircraft condition, and Scott Oshman of Oshman Aviation calls it "very condition-specific." Buyers are taking longer to complete acquisitions, inspections require greater scrutiny, and one dealer specifically cited secondary-market parts availability as a transaction obstacle. Aircraft with fewer unanswered maintenance and support questions tend to move faster than aircraft carrying greater uncertainty. Why it matters These reports provide practical guidance for both sides of a transaction. Owners considering a sale should recognize that older aircraft often require more competitive pricing and longer marketing periods. Buyers should base their transaction timelines on inspections, records reviews, and maintenance evaluations. JETNET puts the overall average at about 95 days on market. For sellers of aircraft 16 years and older, who already sit above 100, a clean records file carries a value of its own.