Jet Planes For Sale

There's never been a better time to buy

If you've ever thought of owning a business jet plane, there's no time like the present. Pre-owned aircraft market forces are making for some great bargains in jet planes. But they may not last long.

But first, a little history: The late-1990s saw an unprecedented boom in business jet plane orders from OEMs like Dassault, Cessna and Bombardier. From small Learjets to roomy Gulfstream Vs, the large number of new aircraft orders sent the pre-owned market soaring as well. Fueled by dot-com cash and new economy timeframes, jet purchases by corporations and high net worth individuals reached an all-time high.

But after the economic downturn of 2000 and 2001, the pre-owned market had record numbers of used jet for sale. Normally, 10% of all business jets are for sale at any given time. But at the turn of the millennium, that number doubled. A few highly sought after models were able to maintain their values, but many older aircraft became un-sellable at any price, except for parts.

Now that the economy is rebounding and corporate scandals have taken a back seat to better economic news, prices on pre-owned turbine aircraft have started to rebound. Most experts agree that the bottom of the market has been reached, a lot of jets are for sale and prices are slowly coming back up. In fact, many of the best bargains have been snapped up.

Nevertheless, it is still a buyer's market, says National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) President Susan Sheets. "Prices are still lower than they have been in years, mainly because there are still lots of jet planes for sale, making for some great investments and great productivity." NARA is the industry's leading organization of pre-owned jet brokers and dealers. The organization's 25 members account for about one-fifth of all business jet transactions in the US. NARA has also authored and promoted the pre-owned jet market's most stringent ethical guidelines for conducting aircraft transactions.

Another factor in the increasing interest in owning pre-owned jet planes is that it is a logical next step for many fractional aircraft owners who seek a higher level of control of their aviation assets. "Once a certain number of hours per year is reached, it makes economic sense to move to full ownership," says Dan Dickinson, president of General Aviation Services and Chairman of NARA. "And the most affordable approach to ownership is finding the right pre-owned jet aircraft."

Though many of the best bargains have been scooped up, there are still opportunities to purchase aircraft below their price levels of just a few years ago. With commercial air travel hassles, security screening and even the unproductive time of driving to and from major airports, the decision to purchase a pre-owned aircraft for company use is becoming an increasingly viable business decision considering the quality of jets planes for sale.