BrokerBeat: Large-cabin jet sales trail last fall by 38% as listings rise

BROKERBEAT · NOVEMBER 2026 Large-cabin jets fall behind last fall's surge as listings build The trailing-year turbine sales gain slips to 5 percent, and only light jets are outselling last fall on GlobalAir.com. GlobalAir.com marketplace data · Figures as of Nov. 2, 2026 THE PULSE · trailing 12 months (turbine market overall)Sales activity? +5%trailing 12 months vs. prior 12, down from +11% last issueListings sold? 74%of resolutions, up from 70%Listings withdrawn? 12% fewerthan the prior 12 months BY SEGMENT · current levels (as of Nov. 2)Segment / cabin classActive listingsMonths of supplyDays on marketVery light jet447.0? 0.2102Light jet1536.6? 0.190Midsize jet1057.3? 0.6115Super-midsize jet9810.8? 1.4109Large-cabin jet1886.8? 0.878Single turboprop566.6? 0.490Twin turboprop719.0? 1.0140As of Nov. 2. Arrows show change since Oct. 1. Lower months of supply and days on market mean a tighter, faster segment. Definitions in Method and notes. Look at the past 12 months of turbine sales, up 5 percent on the prior 12, and the market looks good on the surface. But dig a little deeper and the data tells a different story. October 2025 was a banner month (one of the best of the past two years). December 2025 was the best. But the floor dropped out by February 2026, and sales never fully recovered. July 2026 marked the bottom of the market this year. Sales from August through October marked a lukewarm rebound of sorts, although they came in 19 percent behind the same three months of 2025, and October's provisional count ran about a third below last October's. Houston, do we have a problem? Ironically, large-cabin jets, the segment buyers chased hardest over the past year, are leading the three-month shortfall, with 38 percent fewer aircraft sold than in the same three months of 2025. Listings have followed suit and grew to 188 from 178 since Oct. 1. Sales down, supply up. The one bright spot? Light jets, which have overall had a strong year, continued their sales hot streak, up 10 percent over the past three months. Change in turbine sales from August through October 2026 versus the same months of 2025, by segment. Turboprop segments are small samples. Deal flow The provisional index for October came in at 86, practically even with September's 87 but well below October 2025, which came in at 129. Late-reported sales from August and September did not materially change their index readings, which means October likely won't make up much ground either. Monthly turbine sales indexed to the 2025 average (100 = an average 2025 month). September and October are provisional while late-reported sales come in. Looking ahead, December 2025 placed the bar incredibly high and has a heavy hand in the trailing 12-month comparison. 100% bonus depreciation, now permanent and in its second year, is likely a factor. It tends to create a feeding frenzy of year-end transactions as CPAs and CFOs across the country attempt to balance income with write-offs. So, can this year come close to matching past results? Dealer reporting suggests a strong "maybe." The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) said its accredited dealers closed 409 transactions in the third quarter, up from 367 a year earlier. Year-to-date through September showed 1,155 transactions, up from 983. That's a positive sign of growth, and a conflicting indicator: GlobalAir.com's third-quarter turbine sales fell 11 percent. Tyler Bowron, director of aircraft sales at Million Air Craft Sales, shares the sentiment, starting with the usual suspects. "We're seeing significant year-end acquisition activity driven by tax considerations across all cabin classes." But he credits the upswing to more than the accounting. "Some of these buyers are new entrants to private aviation who have experienced substantial success in their businesses or investments. At the same time, we're seeing existing aircraft owners upgrading into newer, more efficient aircraft. While buyers recognize that aircraft values have increased considerably in recent years, they clearly understand the value proposition of private aviation and aren't afraid to double down on that investment. In fact, I haven't sold a single aircraft this year for an owner who was exiting private aviation altogether. Every seller we've represented has been moving into their next aircraft." Conversion and withdrawals Listing conversions (the share of resolved listings that sold rather than were withdrawn) continue to hold, with the trailing year's 74% above the prior twelve months' 70%. October dipped to 71% from September's 74% in early reporting. Broken down by segment, jets clocked in at 75% overall, led by midsize at 80%, with super-midsize and large-cabin each up about six points; single-engine turboprops held strong at 77%, and twin turboprops dragged down the overall numbers at 66%. Withdrawals fell 30 percent from August through October versus a year earlier, so sellers are staying put even as sales slow. Months of supply This is the indicator that conversions won't show. And while every segment loosened in October, the breakdown tells a fuller story. Large-cabin jets have crept up to 6.8 months of supply, up from 6.0 on Oct. 1. Super-midsize took the biggest hit with 10.8 months of supply, up from 9.4. A big part of that hit can be attributed to the legacy G200 and Falcon 50-series jets, which accounted for 6 of the 11 added listings. They now number 56 listings with a median of about 210 days on the market and more than two and a half years of supply at their trailing-year selling pace. Fleet-wide data tells the same story: Donath Aircraft Services' quarterly market report shows 23 percent of G200s and 24 percent of Falcon 50EXs listed for sale, with no Falcon 50EX transactions in the third quarter. The older jets continue to lag, with newer models capturing buyers' attention. Legacy G200 and Falcon 50-series listings vs. the rest of the super-midsize class, as of Nov. 2. Moving down the line, midsize supply sits at 7.3 months, up from 6.7. Twin turboprops, last issue's surprise sales gainer, reverted to the mean, climbing to 9.0 months from 8.0, with listings at 71. But despite the slow-moving reputation for King Airs of late, Gabriel Bastos, managing partner at Guardian Jet, is still bullish on the segment. "Twin turboprop buyers know exactly what they want, and they'll wait for it. The deals that drag almost always come down to engines and paperwork. The King Air market, for instance, had a spike in international transactions for us and these take a significant amount of diligence on paperwork and export/import but can be very attractive once completed. Get those right, and these airplanes sell." Time on the market A bright spot on the surface: the median turbine listing has now been posted 101 days, down from 108, though much of that comes from 165 fresh listings since Oct. 1 rather than faster sales. Light jets were the driving force, dropping to 90 days from 125, as the class turned over about a quarter of its book since Oct. 1, with 41 new listings. Very light jets also improved, to a 102-day median from 119. Large-cabin jets still turn fastest among jets at 78 days, essentially unchanged. Twin turboprops lengthened to 140 days from 133 and maintain the crown of turbine laggard. Where buyers are leaning in Buyer attention still sits at the top of the market. Over the past year, large-cabin jets drew the most interest on GlobalAir.com's BrokerNet email network, an index of 113 against a turbine average of 100, and made up 41 percent of turbine "Aircraft Wanted" broadcasts. The demand is there. The deals, so far, are not. BrokerNet buyer-interest index over the twelve months through October (turbine average = 100) beside each segment's August-to-October sales change. Turboprop sales are small samples. Who cleared inventory Cessna quietly led October turbine sales in early reporting with 21, followed by Gulfstream at 12, Bombardier at 10 and Learjet (a Bombardier line, recorded separately) at eight. Gulfstream regressed from 17 in September and a whopping 30 sales in October 2025, in step with the large-cabin slowdown. Broker Leaderboard International Aircraft Marketing andamp; Sales held the top spot again, adding one sale to reach 19. Guardian Jet closed the gap to two, up to 17 from 15, and Jetcraft moved into sole possession of third with 12. BrokerBeat would like to welcome OGARAJETS and Omnijet for breaking into the leaderboard for the first time. MOVERS OF THE MONTH · turbine aircraft sold, trailing 90 days1. International Aircraft Marketing andamp; Sales192. Guardian Jet173. Jetcraft12T-4. Avpro8T-4. OGARAJETS8T-6. Aerista7T-6. Omnijet7 TOP JET SELLERInternational Aircraft Marketing andamp; Sales18 jets sold over the 90 days.TOP TURBOPROP SELLERGuardian JetFour turboprops sold, single and twin combined.FASTEST-GROWING BOOKEMCJET17 turbine for-sale listings, up from 11 on Oct. 1, the largest gain among firms with at least 10 listings. Trailing 90 days, Aug. 3 to Oct. 31, 2026. Turbine for-sale listings only, ranked by firm; manufacturer and auction sellers excluded. Fastest-growing book compares for-sale turbine listings on Nov. 2 with Oct. 1. GlobalAir.com marketplace activity, not audited transactions. Brokers who prefer not to be named can opt out. On the Horizon · Commentary Beechcraft's Denali is approaching certification with a planned entry into service in 2027. The large-cabin single-engine turboprop niche is essentially a Part 91/135 party of one with the PC-12. Its listings remain among the freshest on GlobalAir.com, 19 at a median of 48 days on the market. If Beechcraft delivers on its promises, the Denali should turn this category into a two-horse race. Stay tuned. Market impact 100% bonus depreciation is the name of the game over the next two months. November and December 2025 set the bar, and a massive turnaround is needed to come close this year; at October's pace, the trailing-year gain would turn negative by the January issue. Not every broker sees it that way. "I see a lot of deals pending," said Colin Dunne, private aviation advisor at Aerojet Dynamics. "Transaction-wise, Q1 andamp; Q2 felt more like a Q4. Now with so many aircraft under contract, it looks like 2026 is going to be a bumper year, the busiest since 2022." Large-cabin jets continue to draw buyer interest and will likely determine progress. But building inventory may have the last word. Dealers still see the market as tight. IADA's buyer-seller index fell to 2.65 from 3.16 a year earlier, which the group described as the strongest seller advantage in nearly three years, and about 60 percent of its survey respondents expect large-cabin prices to rise over the next six months. Donath Aircraft Services counts inventory for midsize to large-cabin jets down 20 percent from a year ago. Rising large-cabin inventory on GlobalAir.com is the counterpoint to watch through year-end. But a reminder: not all airframes within a class are created equal. "Overall, the market is strong and maturing, with buyers more selective and pricing increasingly tied to aircraft condition."Lou Seno, executive director, IADA Browse current turbine listings on GlobalAir.com. Method and notesBrokerBeat is built from GlobalAir.com's own marketplace data. Sales, withdrawals, conversion and the Activity Index come from GlobalAir.com listing-removal records, the reason a seller or broker gives when a listing comes down, covering November 2024 through October 2026. The trailing twelve months run November 2025 through October 2026 and are compared with November 2024 through October 2025. Active listings, months of supply, days on market and asking prices come from the GlobalAir.com marketplace as of November 2, 2026, matched listing by listing to each ad's original post date and cross-checked against the public category counts. Buyer-interest figures come from clicks on GlobalAir.com BrokerNet email broadcasts, November 2025 through October 2026, shown as an index because click volumes per broadcast shifted through the year.Definitions. Activity Index: monthly turbine sales indexed to the 2025 monthly average (100), with the latest two months provisional because sales are reported late. Conversion rate: sales divided by sales plus genuine withdrawals (removed from the market, owner keeping the aircraft, lost listing, overpriced), excluding errors, listings moved elsewhere, lapsed logins, leases and buyer-side wanted ads. Months of supply: active listings divided by the average monthly sales pace. Days on market: median days since a current listing was first posted. Leaderboard: turbine sales by firm over the trailing 90 days.Classification. Jets are grouped by the GlobalAir.com cabin-class convention, with a very light tier (Mustang, Phenom 100, Eclipse, Vision Jet, HondaJet) and bizliners excluded. The cabin-class basis is unchanged from the October issue.These figures describe GlobalAir.com marketplace activity, not audited transactions or the whole fleet. IADA figures and the Lou Seno comment come from the association's third-quarter 2026 market report; they cover reported activity among IADA accredited dealers and are not directly comparable to GlobalAir.com marketplace data. Donath Aircraft Services figures come from the aircraft brokerage's October 2026 pre-owned aircraft quarterly market report, which covers 23 midsize to large-cabin jet models fleet-wide; its third-quarter transaction counts are preliminary, and its figures are not directly comparable to GlobalAir.com marketplace data. Scope is turbine only: jets, single-engine and twin-engine turboprops. The Activity Index, year-over-year change and conversion rate cover every turbine sale as recorded, bizliners included, so the series stays continuous. Cabin-class figures exclude bizliners.