Sell Your Jet Globally

Thirty percent of serious pre-owned buyers are not in the US. North America accounts for roughly 70% of global listings, which means European, Gulf and Asian buyers are consistently active in this market — often specifically seeking US-registered aircraft for the documentation standards and maintenance culture that come with them.

Most US sellers never reach that 30%. Not for any strategic reason; they just market domestically by default and quietly wonder why the sale is taking so long. In a market where average days on market now sits well above 200, cutting off a third of qualified buyers for no reason is a difficult gap to justify.

This guide covers the full picture: current market conditions, how brokerage actually works, what international regulations require and how to get your aircraft in front of buyers who will genuinely close.

Key Takeaways

• JETNET recorded 2,309 global private jet transactions in 2024 — North America holds 70% of listings, so selling internationally opens up the other 30%.

• Average days on market reached 220 by H1 2025. Newer aircraft with engine programme enrolment and clean records sell considerably faster.

• Aircraft brokerage is the most effective route for most sellers — brokers handle valuations, buyer qualification, inspections and documentation.

• International sales require FAA deregistration, export certification and compliance with the buyer's national aviation authority.

• Professional imagery, complete records and placement on the right platform determine whether international buyers find your aircraft at all.

Understanding Private Jet Sales

Unlike most asset categories, private aviation transactions are sparse by nature. The buyer pool for any specific aircraft type is genuinely thin, and the right buyer — right budget, right mission profile, right timing — might be based anywhere in the world. Current market data shapes everything from pricing to platform selection.

Market Trends in Private Jet Sales

JETNET's 2024 full-year review is essential reading before listing anything. Business jet inventory grew 24%, peaking at 2,016 units in November before settling at 1,851 by December. Total transactions came in at 2,309 — a 4.2% dip on 2023, though Q4 ran noticeably stronger. H1 2025 recorded 1,912 whole-aircraft deals, which JETNET describes as a resilient market operating at a significantly elevated baseline versus pre-pandemic levels.

Pricing requires careful attention. Average asking prices slipped 2.6% year-over-year and median values in certain segments fell 13%. Average days on market climbed from 184 in H1 2024 to 220 in H1 2025 — IADA characterises 2025 as a "healthier, more orderly" market with normalised inventory. Aircraft under ten years old with modern avionics and engine programme enrolment still command premium valuations. Everything older or with patchy records is sitting longer.

Types of Private Jets and Their Value

Category determines your buyer pool, your marketing approach and a realistic expectation of how long the process takes.

Values are JETNET 2024 pre-owned averages. Large Jets rose 11% last year; Midsize Jets fell 13%. Always get a current appraisal from a broker actively transacting in your specific category — these figures shift, sometimes significantly.

Factors Affecting the Sale of Private Aircraft

Five things consistently separate aircraft that close in six months from ones still on the market eighteen months later. None of them are complicated, and all five are worth completing before a single broker meeting is booked.

1. Commission a pre-sale inspection — find the squawks yourself before a buyer's engineer discovers them mid-deal and uses them as pricing leverage

2. Organise every logbook, Airworthiness Directive compliance record and modification paperwork into a complete, clean package before anyone asks for it

3. Detail the aircraft professionally inside and out — even technical buyers are influenced by presentation, and it signals how the aircraft has been maintained generally

4. Obtain a current appraisal from a broker actively transacting in your specific category — not a figure remembered from two years ago

5. Decide upfront whether the target market is domestic, international or both, since this shapes every subsequent marketing and documentation decision

The Role of Aircraft Brokerage

Most sellers who try without a broker hire one within two months. The buyer network, transaction management and regulatory knowledge take years to build, and you are applying them to one sale. Before approaching any firm, the guide to the best private jet companies in the US maps the leading operators and brokers and gives you a real basis for comparison before the first meeting.

Choosing the Right Brokerage Firm

The pitch meeting is not the test. What you actually need to establish: have they closed comparable transactions recently? Do they have verifiable buyer relationships in the geographies you want to reach — not just a general claim to international coverage? And who specifically works your listing day to day, since it is rarely the principal who took the meeting? References from sellers of similar aircraft are the right ask. Any firm worth retaining provides them without hesitation.

Benefits of Using an Aircraft Broker

Think about what the commission actually pays for. It is not simply admin. It is access to buyers you would otherwise have no way of reaching; the ability to manage a pre-purchase inspection without learning the process on the job; enough transaction history to catch a deal going sideways before it does; and regulatory knowledge across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously. For international sales specifically, that combination is genuinely hard to replicate independently.

Brokerage Fees and Commission Structures

Two to five percent is the standard range. Larger transactions are sometimes structured as flat fees instead. Whatever the arrangement, get it in writing before work begins — and specifically include what happens if the aircraft remains unsold after a defined period.

Navigating International Aviation Regulations

Cross-border aircraft sales carry compliance requirements that domestic transactions simply do not. All manageable with enough lead time — but discovering a regulatory gap the week of closing, when an escrow is already open and a buyer is waiting on paperwork, is entirely avoidable.

Understanding Global Compliance Requirements

The International Civil Aviation Organization sets the framework that most national aviation authorities operate within — airworthiness standards, maintenance requirements and operational specifications across 193 member states. That is the global baseline.

But meeting ICAO baseline requirements does not automatically satisfy every country's import process. A US aircraft entering Europe typically needs EASA validation on top of that. Certain Asian and Middle Eastern markets require additional local authority steps. Find out what applies to your buyer's specific jurisdiction before the sale agreement is signed, not after.

Key Regulations for Selling to International Buyers

For US sellers, the primary regulatory obligation is FAA deregistration. The Federal Aviation Administration requires the aircraft to come off the US Civil Aircraft Registry before title can transfer to a foreign buyer — that means an application to the FAA Aircraft Registry office, timed carefully against the escrow closing date. An export airworthiness certificate is also required, confirming the aircraft met applicable standards when it left US registration. The buyer's authority handles re-registration on their end.

How to Prepare Documentation for Global Sales

International buyers and their technical representatives arrive with a checklist. Have all of the following organised and ready before the aircraft is shown to any serious enquiry:

• Certificate of Airworthiness, valid at the time of sale

• Full maintenance logbooks for airframe, engines and APU

• Total times and cycles since new and since last overhaul for all three

• Supplemental Type Certificates for all modifications and avionics upgrades

• Interior completion records and avionics documentation

• Complete Airworthiness Directive compliance records

• Current weight and balance data sheet

Marketing Strategies for Global Reach

Western Europe accounts for 37% of international pre-owned listings outside North America. These are active, well-capitalised buyers often specifically seeking US-registered aircraft — and most will never find yours unless it is on a platform they actually use. LuxuryProperty.com Jets puts aircraft in front of an international audience already searching for premium aviation assets, connecting sellers to buyers across the world's leading markets without the noise of a general listings feed.

Digital Marketing Tools for Private Jets

Premium aviation platforms, specialist listing sites and targeted paid campaigns each address different phases of the buyer journey. AI-driven advertising is reshaping how high-value assets reach qualified buyers, and private jet sellers who use these tools are consistently finding the right audience faster. For international buyers who cannot inspect in person before committing to a viewing trip, professional photography and video are not optional. They form the entire first impression.

“A well-presented aircraft with complete records sells in roughly seven months. Poor presentation on the same specification can take twice that. This is not cosmetic. It is commercial.”

Utilizing Social Media to Target Global Buyers

Broad campaigns are nearly useless in a market this specific. Precision targeting — paid advertising served to verified high-net-worth individuals in specific countries who follow business aviation and private ownership content — consistently outperforms volume. In private jet sales, five thousand genuinely qualified impressions do more than five hundred thousand general ones.

Creating Compelling Listings for International Buyers

Consider what a buyer in Frankfurt sees when they open your listing at 10pm. They cannot visit before deciding whether the trip is worth making. Everything they know about the aircraft — its condition, maintenance history, interior standard, whether it deserves their time — comes entirely from what you have put in front of them. Strong imagery, accurate specifications, an honest maintenance summary and a specific reason why this aircraft suits a buyer at this level: that combination converts a browse into a serious enquiry. It is the same standard expected in high-end real estate advertising — detailed, accurate and presented with care.

Global Flight Services During the Sale

Once a buyer is serious, logistics accelerate quickly. Aircraft, engineers, paperwork and people need to coordinate across time zones – and

the process runs considerably smoother when someone has planned it properly before the demonstration date, not the week of it.

Coordinating International Viewings and Demonstrations

An international demonstration involves more moving parts than most sellers expect: FBO coordination, destination customs if the aircraft travels, ferry crew scheduling and aligning everything with the buyer's technical representative. The pre-purchase inspection then runs separately — independent engineer, agreed maintenance facility, adequate time. Do not compress this stage. More deals fall apart after a rushed inspection than during a thorough one.

Managing Logistics for International Jet Transactions

Price agreed — the transaction moves through a specialist aviation escrow provider. FAA deregistration is filed in parallel while the buyer's authority processes their registration paperwork, with title transferring on a coordinated timeline. Any deal involving layered ownership, third-party financing or a trust structure warrants a specialist aviation attorney. This is not an area to economise.

Post-Sale Support and Services

Private aviation is a genuinely small world and reputations in it are long. A few hours spent on a systems walkthrough, introductions to maintenance contacts in the buyer's region and availability through re-registration is what separates the sellers people refer others to from the ones they simply remember. In a referral-driven market, that distinction tends to compound.