The previous aircraft market, dominated by wildly inflating prices, extremely short supply, and ill-advised shortcuts, finally appears to be stabilizing.
For nearly three years, buyers were snatching up anything they could find, and paying increasingly high prices to do so. With interest rates now higher, an election year, and demand slacking off, the market has finally cooled. That’s true of most of the larger aircraft market, save maybe some light jets, and it’s true of Twin Commanders as well.
“It’s not too bad considering it’s an election year,” said Jim Worrell, Aircraft Sales Director for Jet Access (Eagle Creek Aviation). In late March there were 17 Twin Commanders listed on Controller, and Worrell was working on adding two more. That represents about 10 percent of the N-registered fleet, which is generally considered a stable market.
Like much of the rest of the economy, even slacking demand hasn’t brought prices back down to where they once were. “Prices are coming down just a little maybe,” he said.
The next few months look reasonably strong, according to Worrell.
