2026 Buyer's Guide
How to Buy a Private Jet
Eight steps, eight to sixteen weeks — from mission scoping through delivery. Written from the buyer's chair by an independent advisory, with the cross-border closing, registry, and PPI mechanics most public guides skip.
In One Paragraph
Buying a private jet is an 8–16 week process across eight distinct phases. Most of the value — and most of the risk — sits in three of them: serial-number selection, the pre-purchase inspection, and registry / closing mechanics. Read those carefully; the rest is logistics.
The Eight Phases
Define mission, not aircraft
Range, typical passenger count, runway constraints at your home base, and annual hours. The aircraft falls out of the mission profile — not the other way around. Buyers who start with a model in mind almost always overspend.
Set the total budget, not the sticker
Acquisition is 30–45% of 10-year cost. Set the full envelope (acquisition + 10-year operating + reserve for unscheduled) before shortlisting. See the full breakdown in our ownership cost pillar.
Build a serial-number shortlist
Three to five tail numbers, ranked by airframe condition, engine program status, last major inspection, and damage history. Public listings are the visible 30%; an experienced broker accesses the off-market 70%.
Letter of intent (LOI)
Non-binding, sets price, deposit (typically 10%), pre-purchase inspection (PPI) location and scope, target close date, and exclusivity window. Done right, the LOI controls the entire transaction.
Pre-purchase inspection (PPI)
5–15 working days at an authorized service center. Records audit, physical inspection, engine borescope, avionics check, and acceptance flight. The PPI is where most negotiating leverage gets created — or lost.
Aircraft purchase agreement (APA) & escrow
Binding contract. Escrow agent holds funds and title until conditions are met. International transactions add OFAC/AML checks, capital-controls confirmation, and FAA / EASA de-registration sequencing.
Closing, registration, import
Funds release, bill of sale, deregistration from prior registry, re-registration on target registry, customs/import (VAT planning in the EU is material), insurance binding, and crew onboarding.
Delivery & first 90 days
Acceptance flight, ferry to home base, hangar contract, ops manual, and first scheduled maintenance event. Most owners under-budget for the post-delivery setup — plan for $150–400K in the first quarter.
Typical Timeline
From the buyer's first conversation to delivery. Cross-border transactions and registry changes extend the back half.
| Phase | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mission scoping & budget | 1–2 weeks | Internal — buyer + advisor only |
| Shortlist & inspection of records | 2–4 weeks | Off-market opportunities surface here |
| LOI & PPI | 3–5 weeks | PPI itself runs 5–15 working days |
| APA, escrow & closing | 2–4 weeks | Cross-border adds 2 weeks typical |
| Registration & delivery | 1–3 weeks | Import/VAT timing drives the range |
Four Pitfalls That Cost Buyers Real Money
Skipping the engine program math
Aircraft not enrolled on the manufacturer engine program (CorporateCare, MSP Gold, ESP) discount 5–15% at resale. Buyers focused on a lower entry price often inherit the discount they avoided paying for.
Under-scoping the PPI
A 'records-only' or single-location PPI saves a few days and costs hundreds of thousands when issues surface post-close. Always inspect at an authorized service center the seller does not own a relationship with.
Ignoring the registry change
Moving from N to EASA (or vice versa) requires modifications, paperwork, and time. Bake the cost and lead time into the offer — never discover it after closing.
Forgetting first-90-day cost
Setup costs — hangar deposit, crew sourcing, ops manual update, training, insurance binder — routinely run $150K–$400K and rarely appear in the buyer's spreadsheet.
Talk to an independent buyer's advisor
We represent one side of every transaction. On a buy mandate, your interests are the only ones we advance — and we hold no fleet affiliations, so there's no incentive to steer you toward any particular aircraft.