Once again, global aircraft broker and dealer Jetcraft is showcasing at EBACE 2018 three gleaming, available, late-model large-cabin business jets, but the trio currently on display was harder than usual to gather. âItâs actually more difficult to find good quality aircraft to exhibit this year,â said Pascal Bachmann, Jetcraftâs senior v-p sales, EMEA, crediting the turnaround in the preowned market. âWeâre not the only ones who can feel the market is on the way to being better,â he said. âOwners see it as well, and theyâre not stupid. Theyâre asking themselves, âWhy should I exhibit it at EBACE if I can leave it in the hangar and people call me up to buy it?ââ
Thatâs a dramatic shift from the doldrums of the past decade, Bachmann said. âThereâs no doom and gloom anymore.â
Yet despite the industryâs lean years, U.S.-based Jetcraft itself has seen annual growth since 2008, when it brokered 23 aircraft, through last yearâs total of 93 transactions, according to Bachmann. âWe never dropped; itâs a continuous growing line, and this first quarter we sold 25 and weâre on track to reach 100 by the end of the year.â
Jetcraftâs 10-Year Business Aviation Market Forecast 2017-2026 released late last yearâits thirdâpredicts similar growth industry-wide in the coming decade, with new aircraft deliveries steadily rising, totaling 8,349 units and $252 billion in revenues at current prices.
Over the past year, the company has become more bullish on the share North America, Europe, and Asia will claim in that growth. North America is forecast to take 62 percent of all new business aircraft delivered over the next decade, up from Jetcraftâs 60 percent projection at the end of 2016. Europeâs forecast share of global business jet deliveries now stands at 17 percent, up from 15 percent, while Asiaâs expected portion rose to 12 percent from 10 percent. Forecast deliveries to Africa, the Middle East, and Russia meanwhile dropped. âNot a big impact on the worldwide market, but obviously big in the affected regions,â Bachmann said, citing geopolitical issues and regional instability for the lowered expectations.
Delivery forecasts are nothing new for airframe and engine OEMs, but why is Jetcraft, an aircraft brokerage, creating one?
âWeâre a neutral party,â Bachmann said. âWe donât manufacture anything, we just sell, and we donât have a special interest to sell a Falcon, a Gulfstream, or a Bombardier, so I think weâre in a very good position to actually know the markets.â
Meanwhile, the turnaround is already affecting Jetcraft. It recently opened a London office with a full-time lawyer on site, helping double its European team in the last six months. The entire team is on hand at EBACE, along with senior leadership and representatives from the companyâs Middle East and Africa offices, eager to meet with attendees who want to learn more about sales and acquisitions opportunities in the global preowned market.
The numerous charts in Jetcraftâs detailed market forecast, based in part on historical economic models, display steady year-over-year growth until its final year, 2026, when all graphs show a steep drop. âLet me put it this way,â said Bachmann, explaining the big dip. âThe good times end at some point. We see a pretty steady growth over these ten years, but it cannot go on forever.â