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JETNET LLC, the leading provider of corporate aviation information, has released March 2014 and first quarter 2014 results for the pre-owned business jet, business turboprop, helicopter, and commercial airliner markets.
Market Summary
Comparing March 2014 to March 2013, fleet for sale percentages for business jet and business turboprop market sectors were down, but increased slightly in the helicopter markets.
Business jets are showing a good start in the first quarter of 2014, with a 3.1 per cent increase in pre-owned sale transactions, and are taking less time to sell (73 days less) than last year, with a 11.6 per cent decrease in average asking price. Business turboprops decreased 15.8 per cent in sale transactions, with a 29.4 per cent decrease in average asking price.
Both turbine and piston helicopters saw declines in sale transactions YTD of 9.6 per cent and 2.8 per cent, respectively. Turbine helicopters recorded a 35.2 per cent increase in average asking price in the YTD comparisons through March 2013.
The number of pre-owned commercial airliner sale transactions at 381 for the first quarter of 2014 showed a 27.7 per cent decrease compared to the first quarter of 2013. The number of sale transactions declined by 25 per cent in the same first quarter comparisons for commercial turboprops. Commercial airliner For Sale numbers include both commercial jets (including airliners converted to VIP) and commercial turboprop aircraft.
Across all aircraft sectors there were 6,320 aircraft for sale, with 1,823 sold through the first quarter of 2014.
Some observations on the March-over-March For Sale market trends for the past 10 years (from 2005 to 2014):
- The in-operation fleet has increased by 6,711 business jets, from 12,909 in March 2005 to 19,620 in March 2014.
- The For Sale number hit a record high in March 2009 at 2,857, from a low point of 1,616 in March 2007. However, the current March 2014 For Sale level is at 2,369 and has been slowly declining, but is still above the 1,762 mark in 2008 before the great recession hit.
- The Percentage For Sale is at 12.1 per cent and has been declining yearly since the 2009 high of 17.4 per cent. Note that this percentage decline is more a result of higher numbers of in-operation business jets than a change in the For Sale Inventory levels, which remain historically high.
- The Year-Over-Year Balance Points (12.1 per cent Mar. 2014 – 13.1 per cent Mar. 2013 = -1.0 pt.) have been negative over the past 5 years, and have averaged a -1.1 pt. decline each year.
Conclusion: The 1 per cent decrease in the business jet inventory is still a solid improvement over the prior two years, at –.7 per cent and -.6 per cent respectively. These results demonstrate a fairly solid progression toward recovery in the business jet segment since the great recession of 2008-2009. However, it is still a buyers’ market, with ample levels of business jets for sale.
U.S. GDP
Real gross domestic product—the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States—increased at an annual rate of 0.1 percent in the first quarter (that is, from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014), according to the advance estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The BEA report shows that U.S. GDP is below the 3.0 per cent growth mark (when business aviation does well). The advance estimate of the U.S. GDP release showed the economy grew for the 19th straight quarter. In the fourth quarter, real GDP increased 2.6 per cent.
