Altea Guide Advises on Aircraft Sales Prep

Business aircraft sales and refurbishment specialist Altea has released the “Business Jet Pre-Sale Housekeeping Guide” to explain to owners key legal, technical, financial, and design preparations before they bring an aircraft to market.

While market conditions are favorable for selling aircraft—particularly as lengthy OEM backlogs and tax incentives drive buyers to the preowned side—Altea warns that tighter regulations, global trade dynamics, and evolving buyer expectations make preowned transactions more complicated.

“Preparation, timing, and accuracy are now critical to achieving a successful outcome,” said Altea founding partner Robin Dunlop. “Sellers who approach the process without the right guidance risk delays, reduced value, or deals falling apart entirely.”

The guide advises on areas such as the need for complete maintenance logs. According to Altea, missing or incomplete logs are among the most common stumbling blocks in transactions, and they are often discovered late in the sales process. Rebuilding the logs is time-consuming and costly.

Altea also noted that regulatory bodies such as the FAA and EASA place a greater emphasis on certification, traceability, and complete maintenance history.

Meanwhile, tax incentives are influencing buyer behavior, pushing sales activity around certain deadlines. The guide outlines those incentives to help sellers prepare for such deadlines. The guide further highlights the importance of a pre-sale strategy with consistent marketing and a coordinated sales process.