market reports

Heavy and super-midsize jets see tight supply and rising values, while medium jets, light jets and turboprops report softer third-quarter transactions

EATONTOWN, N.J., October 12, 2026 – As the business aviation industry prepares for NBAA-BACE 2026, October 20–22 in Las Vegas, AMSTAT, the leading provider of business aviation market intelligence, today released its review of preliminary third-quarter activity in the preowned business aircraft market. The data points to different conditions across segments, with tight supply and rising values in heavy and super-midsize jets, while several other categories are showing softer transaction activity.

“While at print we still have Q3 data coming in, the data so far indicates that the market is moving in different directions by segment,” said Andrew Young, General Manager of AMSTAT. “Heavy and super-mid jets continue to benefit from limited supply and strong demand, while transactions have softened in the third quarter for medium jets, light jets and turboprops.”

Heavy Jets

Preowned heavy-jet inventory appears to have plateaued after contracting during the first half of the year. Although the pace of contraction has slowed, just 5.1% of the fleet is for sale, compared with a 10-year average of 7.0%. Buyers have even fewer options among newer aircraft.

Transaction activity remains robust. Through the end of the third quarter, year-to-date transactions were 7.3% higher than during the same period in 2025. Tight supply and strong demand continue to put upward pressure on values: the median value of preowned heavy jets is up 14% year to date.

Full Press Release Attached

This Press Release was originally published by AMSTAT on October 12, 2026.

TORONTO, Canada, September 17, 2026 – Aero Asset, a global helicopter sales and market intelligence firm, has released its 2026 Half Year Heli Market Trends Twin-Engine edition. Backed by Aero Asset's expertise and proprietary market intelligence, the report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global preowned twin-engine helicopter market during the first half of 2026. 

The report examines retail sales activity, supply, pricing, regional market dynamics and liquidity trends across the twin-engine helicopter market. Retail sales increased 8% year-over-year (YOY), while supply for sale declined 33% to its lowest level in five years. The tighter inventory environment improved the overall absorption rate from 18 months a year ago to 11 months. 

Download Attached Heli Market Trends Twin-Engine Edition

This market report was originally published by Aero Asset on September 17, 2026.

NAFA member Global Jet Capital releases its exclusive forecast to provide you with greater insight into the new delivery and pre-owned transaction market.

The Global Jet Capital Business Jet Market Outlook summarizes the outputs of our proprietary transaction forecast model covering the period of 2026 through 2030. It reflects our projection of future activity in the business jet transaction market in both the new and pre-owned segments across different geographies.

The business jet transaction market grew in 2025. OEMs made progress resolving supply chain and labor constraints (although more work needs to be done), leading to more new aircraft deliveries, and the pre-owned market continued to grow after a period of normalization. With expectations for steady economic growth, gradual improvement to supply chains, and a normalizing pre-owned market, we project business jet transactions will grow over the next five years.

INSIGHTS

• Total new and pre-owned business jet transaction unit volume is forecast to increase 3.6 percent in 2026. Transaction dollar volume should increase at a rate of 5.5 percent in 2026.
   
• After years of strong order intake and deliveries limited by supply chain and labor constraints, backlogs at major business jet OEMs are significantly higher than they were five years ago. As a result, new deliveries should increase 3.3 percent in 2026 and grow at an average annual rate of 2.4 percent over the next five years. Deliveries are poised to grow steadily throughout the forecast period.
   
• Pre-owned transactions are expected to continue their 2024 and 2025 growth in 2026. Annual unit volume should increase 3.6 percent and dollar volume should increase 3.5 percent. Average annual growth is expected to continue over the next five years at a rate of 2.9 percent. Dollar volume should grow at an average annual rate of 4.2 percent during that time.
   
• We project North America will maintain its position as the largest market for both new and pre-owned business jets over the forecast period, making up 73.9 percent of the total market. Europe will continue to be an important market, and Latin America is expected to remain a key market for pre-owned aircraft. APAC and MEA regions will represent important growth opportunities for the industry.
   
• More extensive details on these metrics and more can be found in the full document.

Download the Forecast here

This market outlook was originally published by Global Jet Capital on September 14, 2026.

NAFA member Tripp Thurston, CFO and Group President of Firecrown Media and COO of FLYING Finance, shares part one in his three-part article series.

There is more to the latest GAMA report than the top-line number shows.

GAMA’s second-quarter 2026 shipment report landed September 3, and the headline number is fine: 1,458 airplanes shipped through the first half of the year, up modestly from 2025’s pace, with piston deliveries alone running at 786 units year-to-date.

But the unit count is the least interesting thing in this report. The more useful question is what buyers are actually choosing once they show up with a checkbook, and the data is plain on that point: the market is moving upmarket, and it’s moving faster than most people building financing products for it have adjusted to.

Beechcraft Just Told You Where This Is Going

In November 2025, Textron Aviation announced it would end production of the Beechcraft Bonanza G36 and Baron G58, two of the longest-running nameplates in general aviation, with more than 24,000 combined deliveries since launch. The official reason was a sustained sales decline and a decision to redirect resources toward the Beechcraft Denali, the single-engine turboprop that’s been in development since 2016 and is now sliding toward first deliveries this year following the GE Catalyst engine’s February 2025 certification.

The GAMA numbers make the case better than the press release did. Bonanza and Baron shipments combined for exactly two units in Q1 2026 and two more in Q2, four airplanes, worldwide, across a full six months, for a platform that once anchored Beechcraft’s piston lineup. That’s not a soft quarter. That’s a company that has already, functionally, stopped building these airplanes and is running out remaining orders while it waits for Denali certification to clear.

The trade being made is stark by price alone. A Bonanza or Baron new-build sold somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 million to $1.3 million depending on configuration. The Denali is expected to list around $6.4 million to $6.6 million, call it five times the price, for a buyer moving from piston to single-engine turboprop performance. Textron isn’t just retiring two old airframes; it’s reallocating its entire piston-adjacent product investment toward a buyer who can write a much bigger check. That’s premiumization in one company’s product roadmap, and it’s not unique to Beechcraft. It’s the same logic playing out across nearly every OEM’s shipment mix this quarter.

Where This Actually Started, And Why It Isn’t Reversing

It’s worth asking whether this is a genuinely new phenomenon or the continuation of something that’s been building for a while, because the answer changes how you should underwrite around it. Our read: premiumization is largely a COVID-era pivot that never unwound, and the clearest way to see that is to look at what happened in adjacent industries facing the identical supply-and-demand math at the identical moment.

Start with the mechanism. Through 2020 and into 2021, general aviation, like automotive and marine, saw a genuine surge in demand for personal, private transportation as buyers sought alternatives to shared and commercial travel, arriving right as global supply chains for engines, avionics, semiconductors, and raw materials seized up. That combination forced every manufacturer with capacity-constrained production into the same decision: when you can only build a fixed number of units regardless of demand, you build the ones that carry the best margin per constrained production slot. Selling a $6 million turboprop instead of a $1.2 million piston single, out of the same limited factory capacity, isn’t a discretionary choice at that point. It is a strategic business decision to maximize yield.

The automotive industry ran this exact playbook in the open, and it’s well documented. During the 2021 to 2022 chip shortage, automakers explicitly prioritized truck and SUV production over sedans, because those larger vehicles carry meaningfully better margins for only marginally higher production cost, loaded with technology and premium options that cost little extra to build but support real pricing power.

Read full article here

This article was originally published by FLYING Finance on September 10, 2026.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) published the Second Quarter 2026 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report. The results for the first six months of 2026, when compared to the same period in 2025, show increased overall shipments and an increase in the value of aircraft billings. 

Aircraft shipments through the second quarter of 2026, when compared to the same period in 2025, saw piston airplanes decrease by 3.1% with 786 units, turboprops increase 7.8% with 289 units, and business jets increase 8.2% with 383 units. The billings for airplanes through the second quarter of 2026 was $14.3 billion, an increase of 15.5%.

See full Report here

This market report was originally published by GAMA on Septebmer 3, 2026.

NAFA member Kitchel Gifford, Executive Director at Holstein Aviation, shares his recent blog about why younger aircraft are hard to find.

The business jet market Q2 2026 numbers, released by Global Jet Capital in its latest Business Aviation Market Brief, tell a story of a market that looks healthy on the surface and gets more interesting the closer you look. Backlogs are up. Departures are up. But the real headline sits underneath those numbers: the aircraft actually available to buy right now skew older than they have in years, and the newer aircraft buyers actually want are getting harder to find.

Backlogs and Deliveries Are Both Climbing

Combined OEM order backlogs reached $66.8 billion in the second quarter, up 20.4% year over year. Book to bill ratios remain above 1 to 1 across the major manufacturers, meaning new orders are coming in faster than aircraft are being delivered against them. That is pushing lead times on new aircraft out to 18 to 26 months on average, with some models running longer.

Deliveries are still growing alongside that backlog. H1 2026 deliveries among the top five OEMs were up 4.5% year over year, so manufacturers are not falling behind, they are simply being asked for more than ever before.

Read full article here

This article was originally published by Holstein Aviation on August 31, 2026.

NAFA member Dallas Jet International releases 2026 Q2 Quarterly Market Report offering a comprehensive overview of market trends and transaction highlights. Download the quarterly report now and gain valuable insights into the current state of the aviation market. 

Download the Market Report here

This market report was originally published by Dallas Jet International in August 2026.

NAFA member JETNET releases the sixth Edition of the JETNET iQ Market Barometer. 

The Global Business Aviation Market Macro, Market, Inventory, Activity

This edition reviews the global business aviation market on a trailing twelve-month basis, covering August 2025 through July 2026.

Download the Report to see what’s changed across macro, activity, market, and inventory.
 

This report was originally published by JETNET on August 21, 2026.

NAFA member Global Jet Capital releases their Q2 2026 Market Brief.

The business aviation market remained stable during the first half of 2026 despite continuing geopolitical uncertainty. Business jet departures were up, OEM backlogs grew, and transaction activity was healthy. Following a strong first half, the business jet market is well positioned for the balance of 2026.

• The global economy remained stable in Q2, with global GDP growing 2.3 percent during the quarter. Economists expect steady growth through the remainder of the year absent significant external events.
• Business jet departures experienced broad-based growth in H1, rising 3.4 percent year over year.
• OEM backlogs rose 20.4 percent year over year in Q2 2026, reaching $66.8 billion as new orders for business jets continued to increase.
• Reported transaction activity was lower in H1, apparently reflecting delays in data reporting rather than a material decline in transactions.
• Pre-owned aircraft availability declined in Q2, driven by fewer young aircraft being listed for sale.
• In Q2 2026, average bluebook values increased 2.9 percent on a year-over-year basis, although variance was observed across segments and models.

View full Market Report here

This market report was originally published by Global Jet Capital on August 18, 2026.

NAFA member JETNET releases Edition 5 of JETNET iQ Market Monitor.

Mid-2026 Market Snapshot: Business Jet Inventory, Pricing & Activity

The first half of 2026 was a continuation of business aviation operating from a buoyed baseline post-pandemic. Flight activity is still expanding, and OEM order books remain at decade highs, although pre-owned aircraft pricing is normalizing and there is a slight slowdown in pre-owned transactions. All of this during elevated geopolitical tensions, an early-2026 energy shock, and a downgraded global economic growth outlook. This report examines the current state of the business aviation market in detail, including demand, supply, pricing, and economic trends, to provide a clear picture of where the industry stands and what lies ahead for the remainder of 2026.

Read full report here

This report was originally published by JETNET on July 2, 2026.

NAFA member AMSTAT released their 2026 Q2 Preowned Business Aircraft Market Report.

The latest data from AMSTAT, sourced through the Premier+ platform, indicates that the preowned business aircraft market remained strong in Q2 2026. The report highlights a broad-based rebound in transaction volume alongside continued tightening in inventory across most segments. Total preowned business aircraft transactions (jets and turboprops combined) increased 11.2% in Q2 2026 compared to Q2 2025. Activity exceeded the 10-year Q2 average by 14.0%, the 3rd-highest Q2 total of the last 10 years.

Highlights (see Report for segment breakdown).

Tight Inventory Continues to Define Market Conditions

At the end of June 2026, preowned inventory stood at 5.8% of the active fleet, well below the 10-year average of 7.2% and at the lowest level since February 2024. Inventory declined 8.6% year-over-year and contracted 9.5% since the end of 2025, reinforcing ongoing supply constraints.

Business Jet Transactions Rebound as Supply Remains Constrained

Preowned business jet transactions as a whole underperformed in Q1 (versus Q1 2025) but increased 15.5% year-over-year in Q2 2026, exceeding the 10-year average - the 3rd-highest Q2 total in the last decade. Inventory tightened further, with just 6.5% of the active fleet available for sale, the lowest level since August 2023, compared to an 8.1% historical average.

Business jet median values were up 5% year-over-year and 2% year-to-date. By comparison, average asking prices based on listings declines. Andrew Young, AMSTAT GM noted that “this divergence reflects a market where younger, higher value jets are trading and realized transaction values have continued to hold up while older, lower value units are staying on the market dragging down the average asking price”.

Read Full Market Report here

This market report was originally published by AMSTAT on July 30, 2026.

LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2026 – The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) has publicly released its Second Quarter 2026 Market Report. It reveals that the global preowned business aircraft market remained healthy through the first half of the year, driven by strong buyer demand, historically tight inventory and continued confidence among the world's leading dealers and brokers.

The report shows that closed private business aircraft transactions increased 21% year over year to 746 during the first six months of 2026, while acquisition agreements, dealer inventory purchases and exclusive aircraft sale retainers continued to reflect a highly active marketplace despite persistent supply constraints.

"The first half of 2026 demonstrates that the preowned business aircraft market continues to perform remarkably well," said Lou Seno, Executive Director of IADA. "Demand remains healthy, transaction activity is even running ahead of last year and our members continue to express confidence in the market despite ongoing global uncertainties."

Seno added, "Limited availability of high-quality aircraft is supporting valuations and shifting negotiating leverage toward sellers. In a market where opportunities often require quick decisions and expert guidance, IADA Accredited Dealers and Certified Brokers provide buyers and sellers with the experience, transparency and trusted relationships needed to achieve successful outcomes."

When asked whether the 12-month outlook, into the first half of 2027, was softening, stable or improving, IADA members reported that the next year's market was very stable, and moving towards improvement.

Download Full Market Report here

This report was originally published by IADA on July 30, 2026.

NAFA member, JETNET released their fifth edition of the JETNET iQ Market Barometer. This edition reviews market performance on a trailing twelve-month basis.

The first half of 2026 was a continuation of business aviation operating from a buoyed baseline post-pandemic. This report examines the current state of the business aviation market in detail, including demand, supply, pricing, and economic trends, to provide a clear picture of where the industry stands and what lies ahead for the remainder of 2026.

View the Complete July Edition here

This report was originally published by JETNET on July 29, 2026.

NAFA member Shawn Holstein, President of Holstein Aviation, shares his recent blog about business aviation in Q2 2026.

The business aviation market in Q2 2026 is telling a fascinating story of resilience matching up against industrial constraint. Demand from passengers and buyers hasn’t slowed down, but the industry is bumping up against a “supply-driven ceiling.” Growth isn’t being limited by a lack of interest, but rather by OEM production bottlenecks and a heavily congested maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector.

Here is a breakdown of the key trends shaping the market this quarter.

FLIGHT ACTIVITY: THE WHEELS KEEP TURNING

Flight hours are still on the rise, proving that the operational demand for business aircraft remains a core priority for corporations and individuals alike.

• Sustained Growth: North American flight activity is projected to climb 1.9% in 2026, on track to hit roughly 5.5 million flight hours.

• Sector Performance: Fractional and charter operators are leading the charge. Confidence is high, with 91% of operators expecting to fly the same or more than they did in 2025.

• Regional Hotspots: While the U.S. remains the dominant global market, specific regions are outperforming the baseline. Major aviation hubs like Florida and Texas are seeing year-over-year activity jumps of 2% to 3%.

Read full article here

This article was originally published by Holstein Aviation on July 10, 2026.

NAFA member Aero Asset released their 2026 Half Year Heli Market Trends - Single Engine Edition.  

Heli Market Trends compiles YTD 2026 performance of 4 single engine models in production and variants with recent preowned sales activity. Market performance is ranked from most to least active.

Download full Market Report here

This Market Report was originally published by Aero Asset on July 15, 2026.