Corporate aviation information provider Jetnet noted in a news release that key worldwide trends were analyzed and fleet-for-sale percentages for all market sectors were down in the September comparisons, dropping a half of a percentage overall. Business jets and business turboprops showed the largest declines in the percentages-for-sale compared to the other markets. Business jets are at 10.4%, compared to 11.5% at the same time last year.

According to Jetnet, the business jet market was just above the 10% line and remains a buyer’s market. Generally, inventories of pre-owned business jets for sale have decreased and are now just above the 2,200 mark as well.

Business jets are showing an increase (5.9%) in pre-owned sale transactions in the first nine months of 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. Also, business jets are taking the same amount of time to sell (313 days year-to-date) as last year at 312 days.

Turbine helicopters showed an increase of 5.7% in year-to-date sales transactions, whereas Piston Helicopters saw a double-digit decline in year-to-date sale transactions, at 14.1%.

Commercial airliner data include the numbers for sale for both commercial jets (including airliners converted to VIP) and commercial turboprops. Commercial jet year-to-date sale transactions, at 1,636, trailed business jets at 1,946 sale transactions. However, the pre-owned business jet, pre-owned commercial jet and turbine helicopter market sectors each surpassed the 1,000 mark for year-to-date sale transactions for a combined 4,643 transactions, which represented 71% of the total compared to the other market segments.

For the first nine months of 2017, there were 6,060 pre-owned commercial and business jets, turboprops and helicopters sold. This was an increase of 35, or .5% more sale transactions compared to 2016.

Further analysis showed mixed results for the six aircraft segments reported. Business jets (5.9%), turbine helicopters (5.7%) and commercial airliners (8.8%) increased year-to-date in September 2017 compared to year-to-date September 2016. The remaining three segments decreased by double-digit percentages, with piston helicopters showing the largest decrease (down 14.1%) in the same year-to-date comparisons for 2017 versus 2016.

An analysis of the pre-owned turbine helicopters 12-month moving average retail sale transactions from January 2012 to September 2017 revealed that since January 2017 (lowest point in the past five years), the pre-owned turbine helicopter market segment has shown a very rapid recovery up to September 2017. According to Jetnet, this is great news for the pre-owned turbine helicopter segment.