Online aircraft marketplace air.one has opened a seed funding round that will allow continued development of its technology to support aircraft dealers to streamline preowned aircraft transactions. The company is planning an online marketplace that will help to facilitate aircraft transactions from start to finish via partnerships with aircraft financiers, valuation platforms, insurance brokers, and other parties involved in the process.
However, air.one founder Andrew Leece stressed that the marketplace will complement, not replace, aircraft brokers. “The air.one marketplace seeks to make transactions more efficient, but will not replace the need for aircraft buyers and sellers to rely on aircraft brokers to guide them along the way,” he told AIN. “Nothing can replace their knowledge and experience.”
According to Leece, the marketplace will increase price transparency and allow buyers and sellers to see real-time market estimate prices for aircraft, much like Zillow has done for real estate, as well as actual selling prices. In addition, Leece said there are plans to include standard aircraft sales transaction forms—similar to those already in wide use for yacht transactions—that buyers and sellers can use.
For now, the marketplace is free for brokers and aircraft buyers and sellers, though the company eventually plans to charge a subscription fee for brokers and per-aircraft transaction fees paid by the buyer.