GJC: Q1 Bizjet Market Stays Strong Despite Iran Conflict

Despite the geopolitical uncertainties, business jet market fundamentals remained healthy and demand strong with an increase in aircraft departures, growth in OEM backlogs, and stable preowned available inventory in the first quarter, according to Global Jet Capital’s (GJC) latest market brief.

In addition, the business jet financier is optimistic that the strong underpinnings of the economy is setting the industry up for continued health throughout the year. GJC noted that even with the conflict in the Middle East, the global economy sustained steady GDP growth of 2.7% in the first quarter.

This served as a backdrop for broad-based growth in the business jet departures, which were up 3.8% year over year (YOY) in the first three months of the year.  Meanwhile, business jet OEM backlogs jumped 19.3% YOY in the first quarter, with the four manufacturers that reported results reaching $57.1 billion.

Available preowned inventory was down to 6.7% of the overall fleet, from 7.2% a year ago. And, bluebook values strengthened by 1.1%. However, GJC also reported potential headwinds in combined new and preowned jet transactions, with dollar volume off by 27.3%, but said this may reflect the timing of data reporting.

GJC pointed out the economic roils stemming from the Middle East conflict as Brent crude oil prices skyrocketed 106.5%, and the U.S. Volatility Index (VIX) increased 68.9%. Even so, it added, “The broader economic foundation remained firm,” as global GDP increased. “Going forward, analysts expect the global economy to remain resilient so long as there is no material change in the status of the Middle East conflict or its impact on energy markets. With steady economic growth and the wealth creation that accompanies it, the business jet market should be well supported in 2026.”

North America led global growth of business jet departures with a 4.3% YOY increase, while the rest of the world combined for a 2.5% increase. Fractional operations drove this growth, GJC noted. “This strong performance reflects the consistent expansion of the business aviation user base over the past five years,” it said. “Supported by the industry’s core value propositions—personal safety, flexibility, productivity, and comfort—flight operations are expected to remain steady in 2026.”

As for OEM backlogs, orders came from private users in addition to fleet operators. The nearly 20% increase came even as the four manufacturers that report first-quarter results also reported an increase in deliveries. This kept book-to-bill above 1:1. Lead times for aircraft remain in the 18-to-24-month range.

Pointing to the nearly 30% decline YOY in transaction dollar volume across the new and preowned business jet markets, GJC said the downturn followed an active end of 2025, when dollar volume surged by 19.3%.  As for the first quarter results, “This decline reflects real trends in the market, including continued supply chain and labor constraints,” GJC said. However, it also cautioned that “a significant proportion of the decline may be attributable to delays in official data reporting. As additional transactions are reported, we expect Q1 2026 results to fall more in line with historical trends.”