The business jet market is poised for a strong finish to the year as it hums along at a healthy pace despite geopolitical and economic uncertainty, financier Global Jet Capital (GJC) reported. Releasing its Business Aviation Market Brief for the third quarter yesterday, GJC pointed to rising flight activity, strong aircraft demand, tight availability, and appreciating values as metrics underscoring continued momentum during the remainder of the year.
GJC noted that global GDP increased by 2.4% during the quarter, reflecting global economic growth that supports demand for business jets. This growth has continued despite the Iran war, which has driven up Brent crude prices and put pressure on global inflation, and tariffs. Even so, the economy grew, with AI-related capital investment as a driver, and unemployment remained stable. As such, economists believe economic growth will prevail into 2027.
Business jet departures increased during the quarter, with North America still the fastest-growing region and fractional operators the fastest-growing segment. In the three-month period, departures rose 1.3% year over year (YOY) globally, and by 2.4% in North America. Year-to-date departures were up 2.7% through the end of September. “This strong performance reflects the expansion of the business aviation user base over the past five years,” GJC said.
Meanwhile, business jet OEM backlogs soared 23% YOY in the third quarter, approaching $63 billion, and book-to-bills industry-wide remained above 1:1. Business jet deliveries in the quarter increased 6.5% YOY. Lead times for manufacturers range between 18 and 26 months, GJC said.
While year-to-date transaction dollar volume through the third quarter declined by 5.1% YOY, GJC believes this may be due to reporting delays and a difficult prior-year comparison. GJC pointed out that this year followed a surge of transactions to close out 2025. Transaction dollar volume jumped by 19.3% YOY in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Aircraft availability remains below historical averages, particularly for in-demand newer jets, while listings have declined. While varying by segment and model, the average Blue Book value has gone up by 6.6% YOY.
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