By Kerry Lynch • Editor, AIN monthly magazine
Nearly all metrics surrounding the business jet market strengthened in the first quarter, positioning the industry for a solid year despite the uncertain economic environment, according to financier Global Jet Capital (GJC). Releasing its latest Business Aviation Market Brief this week, GJC noted that flight activity, OEM backlogs, deliveries, and preowned transactions increased year over year (YOY) while inventories remained stable.
Flight operations were up 2.4% YOY, a result that GJC said reflects “an enduring expansion in the user base for business aviation.” North America led this growth, but operations outside the U.S. still increased despite prevalent geopolitical tensions. Fractionals continued to experience the most growth in operations.
Meanwhile, business jet backlogs were up 3.1%, to $47.9 billion, despite the headwinds that came from tariffs in March. GJC said there was some unevenness in backlog results. As manufacturers worked through supply chain and labor constraints, deliveries increased (dollar volume was up double digits) and are anticipated at higher YOY levels in 2025. With increased deliveries and market uncertainties, however, book-to-bill dipped below 1:1 in the quarter.
