The Private Jet Market in 2026: What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know Right Now
Values have moderated from peak pricing. Inventory has improved. Here is what the data says about where the market stands.
By PrivateJetNation · 5 min read
Values have moderated from peak pricing. Inventory has improved. Here is what the data says about where the market stands.
By PrivateJetNation · 5 min read
The market has shifted. Here is what that means for your position.
The private aviation market of 2020 to 2023 was unlike anything the industry had seen. COVID accelerated demand for private travel among buyers who had never previously considered it. Pre-owned inventory collapsed as existing aircraft were snapped up faster than they could be listed. New aircraft lead times stretched to three years. Values on pre-owned midsize jets rose 30 to 50 percent above pre-pandemic levels in less than 24 months.
That market has normalized, though not reversed. In 2026, values have moderated from their peaks, inventory has improved from near-zero availability, and the frenzy-level competition for aircraft has given way to a more deliberate buying environment.
JETNET and AVAC market data through early 2026 shows pre-owned midsize and large cabin jet values running 10 to 20 percent below their 2022 peak levels for most types. That correction has not returned values to 2019 pre-pandemic levels, which for many types remain 15 to 25 percent below current pricing.
Light jets have experienced the most pronounced correction, with several popular types declining 15 to 25 percent from peak values as demand for smaller aircraft moderated more sharply than for midsize and large cabin.
At the peak of the 2021 to 2022 market, midsize jet inventory at reputable brokerages was measured in single digits across entire type families. In 2026, JETNET tracks 60 to 90 available Challenger 350 and equivalent midsize aircraft in the active market at any given time, a substantial improvement from peak scarcity. Days on market have extended from 30-day averages at the peak to 60 to 90 days in most midsize categories.
This shift returns negotiating leverage to buyers in a way that did not exist at the peak. Sellers are more willing to negotiate price, accept contingencies, and address inspection findings rather than walking away to a competing buyer.
Manufacturer order books that stretched to 36 months or more during the pandemic surge are clearing, though not fully. Bombardier's delivery cadence for the Challenger 350 and Global series has improved as production disruptions normalized. Gulfstream's backlog for the G700 and G800 remains substantial, with new orders placed today looking at delivery timelines of 24 to 36 months depending on specification.
Buyers in 2026 are operating in a market that is more favorable than it was in 2021 and 2022, with more inventory, more negotiating room, and more time to be deliberate. The current environment rewards preparation, patience, and discipline.
The private jet market in 2026 is not a traditional buyer's market. Values remain elevated relative to historical norms. But it is meaningfully less of a seller's market than it was at the peak. For prepared buyers who have done their homework, the combination of improved inventory, returning negotiating leverage, and moderating prices represents the best acquisition environment since before the pandemic surge.
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