Preowned Heavy Jets Post Q2 Value Gains Amid Price Drop

Preowned large-cabin business jet median values climbed 13% year over year (YOY) in the second quarter even as average asking prices based on active listings fell 34.6% over the same period, according to data from Amstat. According to Amstat general manager Andrew Young, this divergence reflects a market sorting itself between desirable aircraft that are changing hands at firm prices and older, lower-value units that are sitting unsold and pulling down listing averages.

The large-cabin segment was the standout in a broadly positive second quarter for the preowned business aircraft market. Total preowned transactions of jets and turboprops combined increased 11.2% in the second quarter YOY, exceeding the 10-year second-quarter average by 14%.

Large-cabin jet transactions surged 43.8% YOY in the second quarter, though Amstat noted that second-quarter 2025 was a historically weak period for that segment. Against a longer baseline, this activity came in 44.2% above the 10-year average, the strongest performance of any segment.

Year-to-date, large-cabin-jet transactions are up 18.5%. Inventory for the segment fell to 5.2% of the active fleet, its lowest level since February 2023. Asking prices, though sharply lower in aggregate, dropped 13.7% from the start of the second quarter alone, consistent with the compositional shift Young described.

Across the broader business jet market, preowned transactions rose 15.5% YOY in the second quarter, reversing underperformance from the first quarter. Inventory tightened to 6.5% of the active fleet, the lowest level since August 2023 and below the 8.1% historical average. Median values across all business jets rose 5% YOY and 2% year to date.

Other segments posted mixed but generally positive results. Super-midsize jet preowned transactions were roughly flat YOY in the second quarter but remained 11.6% above the 10-year average, with median values up 6%. Midsize jets saw transactions climb 13.6% YOY, though that left the segment 5.6% below its own historical average. Segment asking prices declined 25% YOY but edged up 5.5% from the start of the second quarter, with median values up 5%.

Light-jet transactions rose 5.3% YOY, 10.3% above the 10-year average, with inventory falling to its lowest point since March 2024; median values gained 2%.

Turboprop transactions, which underperformed in the first quarter, turned positive in the second, rising 3.5% YOY and finishing 3.8% above the 10-year second-quarter average. Inventory fell to 4.8% of the fleet, down 6.7% year over year and the lowest level since February 2025.

After declining 8% YOY and 4% through the first quarter, turboprop median values were flat in the second quarter, a potential early signal of stabilization after several quarters of softening. Asking prices held roughly steady, declining 1.4% YOY.

Overall preowned inventory across all categories stood at 5.8% of the active fleet at the end of June, the lowest level since February 2024. The for-sale pool contracted 8.6% YOY and 9.5% from the end of 2025.

“Inventory remains the defining feature of this market,” said Amstat director of sales Chris Skurat. “With transaction counts up across most segments this quarter, sellers in tightly supplied segments like heavy jets are in an especially strong position.”