Don Dwyer, the co-managing partner at preowned business aircraft broker Guardian Jet, expressed optimism for the industry this week at the Corporate Jet Investor Miami conference. “I think the market came back really strong. We saw inventories grow; they’re now sliding down a little. I think there’s an underlying optimism in the people who are buying and selling airplanes long before the outcome of the [U.S. general] election,” he said. “We felt like it was great, it was our greatest year ever. We’re happy as a clam.”
Asked if they thought potential U.S. tariffs would impact the industry in the future, panelists were cautious to answer. “I think if we get into a tariff war, it’s a tit-for-tat situation,” said Rollie Vincent of JetNet IQ. “If prices go up, Main Street won’t be happy about that.”
Notably, Alan Walsh of Sentient Jet has seen an uptick in demand since the election concluded. “It is nuts,” he said. “There is seasonality associated, but yeah, there’s been a big uptick in bookings even in the last six days.”
“Without being political, I will tell you that on Wednesday my wife was apoplectic until around noon and I asked if she looked in her Merrill account,” added Dwyer. “I think that was a microcosm of what was going on around the country. It’s nice there was a decisive victory and the markets responded.”
Dwyer also believes that 2025 is going to be a big year for fractional orders. “I think right now that’s going to drive, and I think that’s healthy,” he said. “I’ve said this before—everyone that runs an airplane company—and I do believe our industry is in good hands, and I don’t always say that.”
Earlier in the day, Viasat director of business development James Person noted that the cost of in-flight internet connectivity installation has gone down drastically over the last several years.
“On a super-mid aircraft, you can get our system installed below $400,000,” he said. “It’s come down from the cost curve and learning curve as you’d expect. One OEM was charging $700,000 to put that on for something that barely did voice text and email. And today, for 40% of that price, you can get more streaming than you’ll ever be able to use. It’s come a long way.
“Everyone wants it to be global, reliable, and consistent,” he added. “We always want capacity when you’re flying.”