Pre-Owned Jet Inventories Stabilize: A Sign of Recovery?

According to a recent report from UBS Investment Research, the number of used business jets on the market has stabilized. That's the good news. Temper it with the acknowledgement that 18 percent of the in-service fleet is on the block; a record level. A bit more good news comes from the fact that, for aircraft less than 10 years old, the number for sale decreased slightly from March to April. The freefall in prices has also stabilized, with overall values having decreased only slightly last month-but selling prices are down a total of 30 percent to 40 percent from their peak levels. The effect of all this on new-aircraft sales backlog is felt in the market for delivery positions-how much someone will pay to move up in the production pipeline for their new jet. UBS analyst David Strauss said the state of the pre-owned aircraft market "will continue to overhang orders, pressure existing backlogs and force further production cuts."