It’s true, the price of jet-A has risen steeper than a max-power climb gradient. But the cost of many other business aviation staples has remained relatively stable, and in some cases nosed over in the past five years. Even fuel prices have come down somewhat in recent weeks. These are among the findings of a comparative survey of business aviation costs and operational data compiled by NBAA Convention News.
The survey compared figures for 2003 and 2008 in areas including business aircraft fleet and fractional ownership, as well as costs ranging from crew pay to a catered box lunch. According to the survey, the price of hull insurance for business jets declined more than 57 percent over the past five years. Behind the decline in these rates was, “in a word, competition,” said Stuart Hope of Hope Aviation Insurance, a Columbia, S.C.-based brokerage that provided data for the survey.
