According to private jet financing firm Global Jet Capital, the European business jet fleet is expected to nearly double in size between 2015 and 2025. The region is expected to see fleet compound annual growth of around 7 percent and will remain the second-largest market for business aircraft in the world, noted Global Jet Capital European sales director Matthias Müller.
Much of this growth will be driven by aircraft in the midsize to bizliner segments, said Global Jet Capital (Booth V128), reflecting recent trends. Over the past five years, 452 business jets in these categories worth approximately €20.3 billion ($22.6 billion) have been delivered to customers in Europe, according to data from the company.
During the past five years Germany accounted for the largest number of deliveries, according to the company, taking 64 midsize and large-cabin business jets, as well as bizliners, worth about €2.9 billion ($3.2 billion). This accounted for 14 percent of all deliveries to the region over the past five years, it said. Following this was the UK with 54 deliveries in these business jet segments; Switzerland and Austria, 32 deliveries each; and Russia, with 30 deliveries.
Currently, there are approximately 1,742 midsize, large-cabin and bizliners in Europe. More than a quarter of the business jets in these segments are based in the UK and Germany—255 and 209 aircraft, respectively.
Overall, around 41 percent of the region’s business aircraft fleet is composed of midsize to large-cabin jets, “a significantly higher proportion than in the global fleet, where the corresponding figure is 32 percent,” Global Jet Capital said. Notably, 79 percent of Portugal’s 126 business aircraft are in the midsize to large-cabin jet categories. This is followed by Russia, where 74 percent of its fleet of business aircraft are in these segments, and Austria, where the corresponding figure is 59 percent.
“It’s important to acknowledge there are significant differences between the business aviation markets of European countries,” noted Graeme Shanks, Global Jet Capital’s sales director for northern Europe. “Some are more developed than others, and this has implications for the type of financing that will be considered by clients in each market.” The company said that 80 percent of the funding for aircraft in these classes is sourced through external financing.