Quarterly Market Report Learjet Aircraft – Q3 2020
Freedom & Success with Learjet!
When the first Learjet hit the sky’s in 1963, its performance was unmatched. It was so impressive that radar technology of the time had a hard time keeping up with the aircraft. In February of 1968, the Learjet set the time-to-climb record by ascending to 40,000 feet in just over 6 minutes. Today, Learjet has become a household name. However, this amazing, gravity defying aircraft is having a tough time replicating this type of performance in the present day pre-owned aircraft markets. The pre-owned Learjet market has become somewhat anemic. Inventory numbers are peaking and prices are struggling to keep up the pace. Using the term underperformer in conjunction with Learjet seems absurd, but there is no other way to describe these markets. The next few months will be a true test to the Learjet’s long-standing reputation.
“The time to buy is when there is blood in the streets,” Baron Rothschild once said. Sellers of the Learjet may not be physically harmed, but the emotional beating these owners have seen over the last six months is akin to having a bloody nose. Battered and bruised, sellers of the Learjet are standing tall as they eagerly await a decent offer. Most sellers have made the wise choice of hiring a professional broker so that they are well represented and no stone is left unturned. Although these sellers are feeling the pain of a post shutdown environment, time may be running out on buyers who have been on the sidelines. With less than three months left in the year and the presidential election just around the corner, there are certain paradigm shifts about to take place. If buyers plan to capitalize on this down-market, time is running out.
Although the picture has not been pretty over the past six months, the next six months may prove otherwise. We are nearing a bottom for the preowned Learjet markets and the best values are sure to be bought up before the end of the year. The phone is starting to ring more and more as buyers start to emerge from the shadows. These early bird buyers will be the ones who will capitalize on this peak in inventory. Learjet became a household name by leaving a mark on private jet travel. Over the last 57 years, the Learjet market has had its ups and downs. Today is no different. The tides are changing and the Learjet is here to stay.
By Ryan Linn and James Norris
