Used Aircraft Market Looking Better

The worldwide inventory of available used business jets has decreased from a high of nearly 18 percent last summer to 16.2 percent in January, while resale activity has jumped from 1.5 percent of the global fleet in the first quarter of 2009 to 2.7 percent in the fourth quarter. That's according to New Jersey-based industry data provider Amstat, which also reported that 12.2 percent of the turboprop fleet is currently available, down from a peak of more than 13 percent. While inventories remain above their 20-year averages (12.4 percent for jets and 11.2 percent for turboprops) the rise in the rate of resale transactions over the past three quarters, particularly for business jets, led Amstat executive vice president Tom Benson to observe that "for the pre-owned business aircraft market, the worst is probably behind us."