General Aviation Trends in 2017

General aviation is still shaken by the effects of 2008 global economic crisis. However, private jet charter flights are increasing. The decline in the sold aircrafts is still valid and this trend will continue till the end of 2019.  

Single Engine Turboprop Aircrafts are on the Rise.

After a rapid decline, the single engine turboprop aircrafts are regaining strength in the market. After commencement of IFR flight certifications by both EASA and FAA, this trend will likely sharpen. As cheap first procurement, maintenance and operational costs are the main advantage of this type, we will see more of them in the market.  

The Merge of Operators and FBO’s

Widely seen in harsh economical environments, the operational and institutional merges between operator and FBO’s are more common. There are more than 1500 companies who operate only in Europe in private jet business. This is considered as a factor for cost increase and the companies seek opportunities to redeem these. Therefore, the wisest solution is to merge with other companies. In 2016, the biggest players in the sector, Signature and Landmark have merged, just like British Blink and French Wijet. This let them to increase competitiveness both in price and operational aspects. Since private jet charter business is quite competitive, many more will take part in this trend.

The Polarization of Aircrafts by Size and Type

For operators, having too much type of aircrafts leads increase in the costs. Therefore polarization enables the operators to reduce the training costs of flight and maintenance crew and other operational costs. Therefore, the FBO’s and operators keep consolidating their fleets. This inclination will likely to continue in 2017.   

As mentioned above single engine turboprops are on the rise. At the opposite end of this scale, the long range luxury aircrafts with ranging up to 8.000 NM are also in demand. Instead of having aircrafts with various sizes and from various manufacturers, the operators will choose to have specific aircrafts with specific size and configurations.