The preowned business jet market has continued to tighten up this year, with the number of transactions, aircraft entering the market, and those for sale dropping overall through the first three quarters, according to data from AIN Media Group company AircraftPost.
As a result, the number of reductions in asking prices was down 36.8% overall. While transaction activity varied by aircraft category, asking-price reductions uniformly dropped throughout the business jet sector, from very light jets to ultra-long-range models. Jo-Anne Arruda, head of data for AircraftPost, said this suggests “sellers are making fewer price adjustments, potentially indicating pricing stability.”
AircraftPost reported transactions were down overall by 2.5% year over year (YOY) in the first three quarters of 2026 to 776. At the same time, the number of aircraft entering the market slid by 7% to 1,149, and the number of aircraft for sale dipped by 2.7% to 955. Meanwhile, the 361 price reductions tracked by AircraftPost through the first nine months represented a 36.8% decline YOY.
By aircraft category, small, midsize, large-cabin, and ultra-long-range models had declines in most metrics. The very-light-jet, super-midsize, and large-cabin models did see increases, at least in terms of transactions.
Very-light-jet transactions edged up by 1% in the first three quarters of 2026, YOY, while 14.7% more aircraft entered the market. However, the total for sale dropped by 7%. The number of asking-price reductions was down 19.2% YOY. Textron Aviation’s Cessna Citation M2 led in transactions in the first nine months with 39 sales, with an average of 121 days on the market.
Softness has appeared in the market for small jets, but performance varies by model. Small-jet transactions declined by 5.1% with 0.9% fewer aircraft entering the market. The result was a 35.6% fall in the number of price reductions, even as the total for sale was up 11%. As for the model variance, the Citation CJ3+ was another leader in transactions with 29 in the first nine months and averaging 126 days on the market. However, CJ4 transactions declined from 32 to 26 as inventory increased from 19 to 24.
Midsize jets represented the weakest category in terms of transaction activity. With most metrics down, Arruda noted this suggests slow activity, “although certain models continue to perform well.” Aircraft transactions in this category dropped 15.7%, those entering the market declined 10.4%, and price reductions were off 21.5%. But again, the total for sale was up 2%.
Conversely, super-midsize transactions increased 15.4%, 17.2% more entered the market, and the total for sale jumped 30.9%. Even so, the number of price reductions plunged 60.3%. Bombardier’s Challenger 350 was another transaction standout this year, with 18 transactions and averaging 116 days on the market.
At the higher end, large-cabin transactions were also up by 11.9%, even as the number entering the market was down 17.1% and total for sale by 12.9%. Following the same pattern, the number of price reductions involving large cabins dropped 38.7%.
Ultra-long-range models represented another very tight market as transactions dropped 12.3%, those entering the market decreased by 24.4%, total for sale declined 27%, and number of price reductions plummeted 62.5%. This category also has limited availability. For instance, only three Global 7500s are available, a drop from nine last year. Arruda said she believes this availability is impacting transactions, adding, “This doesn’t necessarily indicate weaker demand.”
“We aren’t showing any models with zero inventory, but several have limited availability,” Arruda said. In another category, the Gulfstream G280 is among the scarcer models, with just six on the market—down 17 from last year. This came as transactions increased from 13 to 20 in the first nine months.
“Overall, the market remains relatively stable, but the trends vary considerably by category and individual aircraft model,” Arruda concluded.
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