FLYING Finance Research · Quarterly report · Q3 2026
Who has the edge in each segment of the used turbine market, what is selling, how values are moving and what the manufacturers' order books say, blended from JETNET iQ, IADA, AMSTAT and GAMA into one plain-English read.
By FLYING Finance Research · Updated November 2, 2026 · How we build it
Large jets: typical value vs. a year earlier
+13%
AMSTAT, Q2 2026
Share of all jets listed for sale
6.6%
JETNET iQ
Days to sell, jets 0 to 5 years old
50
JETNET iQ
Turboprops: typical value vs. a year earlier
−8%
AMSTAT, flat since Q1
FLYING Finance Turbine Market Pulse · Q3 2026
By FLYING Finance Research · Updated November 2, 2026
Large jets are scarce and selling at rising prices. Super-midsize jets are still busy but values have flattened. Midsize jets are cooling. Light jets and turboprops look softer on average, but supply is tight and the newest, most wanted models still sell fast. Every quarter we pull together flight activity, for-sale listings, completed sales and dealer surveys, then read them the way a lender does: who has the leverage, and what it means for your deal.
Large and super-midsize sales are still growing in 2026. Midsize jets, light jets and turboprops are on pace to finish below 2025.
| Segment | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 so far |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large jets | 539 | 625 +16.0% | 699 +11.8% | +7.3%on pace for ~750 |
| Super-midsize jets | 287 | 313 +9.0% | 344 +9.9% | +11.7%on pace for ~384 |
| Midsize jets | 728 | 670 -8.0% | 747 +11.5% | -6%on pace for ~702 |
| Light jets | 1,053 | 990 -6.0% | 1,064 +7.5% | -6.2%*on pace for ~998 |
| Turboprops | 1,302 | 1,289 -1.0% | 1,326 +2.9% | -9%*on pace for ~1,207 |
2023 figures are the last published unit counts; later years apply industry-reported percentage changes to that base. 2026 so far is the preliminary change through September vs. the same period of 2025. *Light jet and turboprop figures are the projected full-year change, and their third quarter counts are still coming in. "On pace" applies the 2026 change to 2025.
A market split by size and by age. The larger the cabin, the stronger the seller. In light jets and turboprops, older airplanes give buyers room to negotiate, while late-model airplanes from the most wanted lines still sell quickly and hold their value.
Airplanes normally lose value every year they age. Right now most used jets are doing the opposite. Typical sale values for used business jets were 5% higher in the second quarter than a year earlier, and small and midsize jets are still listing above 2019 prices even though every one of them is seven years older. The reasons: too few good airplanes for sale, jets flying about 10% more hours than before the pandemic, and only about 1% of the fleet being retired each year. Dealers made 67 price cuts in the first half of 2026, down 11% from a year earlier and the fewest since they began tracking in 2023, although cuts picked back up in the second quarter (41, vs. 26 in the first).
Why turboprops are the exception. Jet demand is being carried by corporations and the wealthiest buyers, whose profits and wealth are at record highs. Turboprops are more often the airplane of the owner-operator and the mid-size, main street business, which is feeling inflation in both its supply chain and its payroll. Some of those buyers are also stepping up to entry jets like the Vision Jet, Citation and Phenom lines. That is our read, not a reported statistic. One advantage turboprops and light jets keep: new ones generally arrive with shorter waits than large-cabin jets, many of which carry multi-year order backlogs.
What does rising value mean for an owner who financed? It moves the point where your airplane is worth more than your loan much earlier. See how it works in our equity and depreciation crossover model.
The flip side. Values that run above the normal curve can fall back to it. A jet that is worth 11% more than its normal value two years in could end up 12% below it if the market corrects, a 23-point swing. That is why we plan financing around the normal depreciation curve, not around today's prices.
The dot shows who has the leverage today. Left means sellers set the terms. Right means buyers do.
Gulfstream G650, Global 6500, Falcon 7X
Very few for sale, and values keep climbing.
Only about 1 in 20 large jets is listed, well below the normal 1 in 14. Sales are up and the typical sale value is up 14% this year. Sellers set the terms.
Financing for large jets → · Get pre-approved · Check a specific aircraft
The data behind this
| Measure | Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of fleet listed for sale | 5.2% | 5.1% | AMSTAT, 10-yr avg 7.0% |
| Sales vs. a year earlier | +43.8% (Q2) | +7.3% (Jan to Sep) | AMSTAT |
| Large jet sales, Jan to Jun vs. 2025 | +3.8% Q2 2026 | JETNET | |
| Typical (median) sale value | +13% vs. Q2 2025 | +14% this year | AMSTAT |
| Dealers expecting prices to rise | about 2 in 3 | about 6 in 10 | IADA |
Challenger 350, Citation Longitude, Praetor 600
Still the busiest jets in the sky, but values have leveled off.
These are the hardest working jets, flying about 31 hours a month vs. 21 for the average jet. Sales are up almost 12% this year, but more are coming up for sale and typical values are up only 2%.
Financing for super-midsize jets → · Get pre-approved · Check a specific aircraft
The data behind this
| Measure | Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of fleet listed for sale | 6.6% Q2 2026 | AMSTAT, long-run avg 6.7% | |
| Sales vs. a year earlier | flat (Q2) | +11.7% (Jan to Sep) | AMSTAT |
| Typical (median) sale value | +6% vs. Q2 2025 | +2% this year | AMSTAT |
| Hours flown per jet, per month | 30.8 Q3 2026 | JETNET, all jets avg 21.4 | |
Citation XLS+, Citation Latitude, Hawker 900XP
Balanced, with mixed signals.
Supply is below normal, but about 10% more are for sale than in January and sales have slowed since spring. Typical values are still up 4% this year. This is the group where the data disagrees the most, so we watch it closely.
Financing for midsize jets → · Get pre-approved · Check a specific aircraft
The data behind this
| Measure | Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of fleet listed for sale | 7.3% | up about 10% this year | AMSTAT, 10-yr avg 8.6% |
| Sales vs. a year earlier | +13.6% (Q2) | about -6% (Jan to Sep) | AMSTAT |
| Midsize jet sales, Jan to Jun vs. 2025 | -27.1% Q2 2026 | JETNET | |
| Typical (median) sale value | +5% vs. Q2 2025 | +4% this year | AMSTAT |
Phenom 300, Citation CJ3+ and CJ4, PC-24
Tight supply. Softer averages, but strong late-model demand.
Light jet supply is the tightest since early 2024 and second quarter sales beat the 10-year average by 10%. The early third quarter count dropped and the average value is down 4% this year, but those averages are weighed down by older airplanes. The newest jets sell in about half the time of 20-year-old ones.
Financing for light jets → · Get pre-approved · Check a specific aircraft
The data behind this
| Measure | Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of fleet listed for sale | lowest since Mar 2024 | about 7% | AMSTAT, 10-yr avg 8.9% |
| Sales vs. a year earlier | +5.3% (Q2) | -26% (Q3, early count) | AMSTAT |
| Sales vs. 10-year average | +10.3% (Q2) Q2 2026 | AMSTAT | |
| Full-year sales pace | about -6% vs. 2025 Q3 2026 | AMSTAT | |
| Small jet sales, Jan to Jun vs. 2025 | -9.6% Q2 2026 | JETNET | |
| Typical (median) sale value | +2% vs. Q2 2025 | -4% this year | AMSTAT |
Pilatus PC-12, King Air, TBM, Caravan
Supply is tight. The weak third quarter is an early count.
Fewer turboprops are listed than normal, and second quarter sales were the fourth best second quarter in ten years. Values are the soft spot: the typical turboprop sold for about 8% less than a year earlier. Our read is that turboprops are more often bought by owner-operators and main street businesses that are feeling inflation in their costs and payroll, while jet demand rides record corporate profits and wealth, and some turboprop buyers are stepping up to entry jets. The weak early third quarter count will likely rise as late sales are reported.
Financing for turboprops → · Get pre-approved · Check a specific aircraft
The data behind this
| Measure | Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of fleet listed for sale | 4.8% (lowest since Feb 2025) | about 5.0% | AMSTAT, 10-yr avg 5.8% |
| Sales vs. a year earlier | +3.5% (Q2, about 330 sold) | -47% (Q3, early count) | AMSTAT |
| Full-year sales pace | about -9% vs. 2025 Q3 2026 | AMSTAT | |
| Typical (median) sale value | -8% vs. Q2 2025, flat vs. Q1 | -5% this year | AMSTAT |
| Dealer view of turboprop inventory | historically tight Q2 2026 | IADA | |
Private jets flew 3.99 million trips in the past year, up 4.5%. The average jet now flies about 21 hours a month, 10% more than before the pandemic, and shared ownership programs grew about 10%. More flying means more people who want to own.
At any moment there are only about 62 jets for sale for every 100 that sell in a year. Before the pandemic it was about 85. Three out of four jets for sale are more than 15 years old, so the newest airplanes sell in about 50 days while older ones take 100 days or more.
Dealer confidence rose to 3.62 out of 5, and the buyer vs. seller balance tipped further toward sellers than at any time in almost three years. About 6 in 10 dealers expect large jet prices to keep rising over the next six months.
According to JETNET, about 47% of US used jet purchases were financed in the years before the 2008 recession, a share that had held near half since 2000. It fell to 39% during the recession and about 30% after it, and bottomed near 26% around 2014 (Chase & Associates, using JETNET data). It has since climbed back to 29% in 2019, 35% in 2021 and 38% in 2025, based on FAA lien filings. JETNET notes the count likely understates financing, because private credit deals often leave no lien on file.
Notice what did not happen before 2008: there was no run-up. Financing held steady near half, then fell as lenders pulled back and cash buyers took over. Today's 38% is still below that pre-crisis level.
Our read: part of the rise reflects 100% bonus depreciation, which rewards keeping cash and financing the airplane, and part reflects higher prices, which make bigger checks harder to write. We watch it closely, because a market that leans more on credit can also turn faster. Our own Deal Index shows the same direction among piston buyers: thinner down payments and tighter spreads.
Older light jets and turboprops offer the most negotiating room. Late-model airplanes in every size often sell before they are ever listed, so have a pre-approval in hand before you start making calls.
Large and super-midsize sellers have the edge, but buyers are picky about maintenance records and condition. Sellers of older light jets and turboprops should price to the market from day one. Owners of late-model, well-documented airplanes are in a strong position in every size class.
According to JETNET, about 38% of US used jet purchases in 2025 were financed, based on FAA lien filings, and that share has been rising for a decade. With 100% bonus depreciation now permanent, financing lets a business keep its cash and still take the first-year deduction. Ask your tax advisor how it applies to you, then check today's rates.
Supply: share of jets for sale and days to sell
Dealer confidence (1 to 5)
The latest four quarters, showing only the measures reported in every one of them.
| What we measure | Q4 2025 | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How many are for sale? | ||||
| Jets listed for sale (monthly average) | 1,835 | 1,799 | 1,790 | 1,752 |
| Share of all jets listed for sale | 7.3% | 6.7% | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| Average days to sell | 97 | 98 | 98 | 96 |
| Days to sell, newest jets (0 to 5 years old) | 56 | 52 | 54 | 50 |
| Are they selling? | ||||
| Used jet sales growth, past 12 months | +16.9% | +2.2% | +4% | +3.5% |
| Dealer sales in the quarter | 647 | 333 | 413 | 409 |
| Dealer sales so far this year | 1,630 | 333 | 746 | 1,155 |
| How do dealers feel? | ||||
| Dealer confidence (1 to 5, higher is better) | 3.72 | 3.55 | 3.45 | 3.62 |
Flight, listing and sales counts cover the 12 months ending in that quarter (Q4 2025 is full-year 2025; Q1 2026 runs through April). Dealer figures are for the quarter or year to date, as labeled. Q4 2025 dealer sales in the quarter are the full-year total less the first three quarters. Data as of November 2, 2026.
How we build the Pulse. Each quarter we combine flight activity, listings and completed sales from JETNET iQ, dealer sales and sentiment from IADA's accredited dealers, and listings, sales and values by aircraft size from AMSTAT, then interpret it from the lending side of the deal. Their full reports go deeper and are worth reading. Third quarter figures are preliminary and may be revised.
Tell us the airplane and we will tell you what it takes to finance it. Pre-approval in 1 to 2 business days, with a soft credit pull only.
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* Q3 2026: Gulfstream (General Dynamics), Textron Aviation and Embraer Executive from Q3 filings. Bombardier reports Q3 on November 5; its Q3 bar will be added then. Units are FLYING Finance estimates at each manufacturer's blended price per aircraft.
Price-impact read: Three of four manufacturers show sustained multi-period backlog growth (Bombardier +51% from YE2024 through Q2, Gulfstream +29% through Q3, Embraer Executive +11% through Q3), which, layered on today's tight preowned inventory across every jet segment, is the textbook seller's-market signal: longer new-aircraft wait times push some buyers toward preowned. Textron is the exception (dipped in 2025, recovered in Q2 and held roughly flat at $8.0B in Q3), and Medium Jet is the one place the logic breaks down: tight backlog and tight preowned inventory, but preowned asking prices down roughly 25% year-over-year. Both called out here rather than smoothed over.
Unit estimates are FLYING Finance's calculation (disclosed $ backlog ÷ an estimated blended list price by current model mix). Manufacturers do not disclose backlog in units. Source: company SEC filings and investor releases.
Note: effective January 2026, Textron eliminated its eAviation segment (electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, including Pipistrel), folding most of it into Textron Aviation. Year-end 2024 and year-end 2025 Textron Aviation figures shown were reported before that realignment, so the current-quarter figure is not on a strictly identical segment basis: eAviation ran roughly $30 million per year in revenue, so the effect on comparability is minor.
Tight inventory rewards buyers who are ready to move. These are the guides and tools our turbine customers use before they make an offer.
Five things for each segment of the used turbine market: demand (private jet flights), supply (jets for sale, share of the fleet listed and days to sell), values (typical sale value versus a year earlier), deals (completed sales) and dealer mood. We combine JETNET iQ, IADA and AMSTAT data each quarter, add GAMA shipments and manufacturer backlogs, and write one read per segment.
Large jets, super-midsize jets, midsize jets, light jets and turboprops, from airplanes like the PC-12, King Air and TBM through the largest Gulfstream, Bombardier and Dassault cabins.
For most jets, yes. In AMSTAT's second-quarter 2026 data the typical used jet sold for about 5% more than a year earlier, led by large jets at about 13%. Light jets were up about 2%, and turboprops were the exception at about 8% lower, flat since the first quarter. Age matters: the newest airplanes sell fastest and hold value best.
According to JETNET iQ, about 1,750 jets were listed for sale on average in the most recent period, about 6.6% of the fleet and down from 7.7% a year earlier. Jets up to five years old sold in about 50 days on average.
According to JETNET, about 38% of US used jet purchases in 2025 were financed, based on FAA lien filings, up from 29% in 2019. JETNET notes the count likely understates financing, because some private credit deals leave no lien on file.
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