Corporate Jet Investor – Town Hall Masterclass – Selling in a Seller’s Market

Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Location: Webinar

Listen to the complete Webinar

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Overview
Mesinger Jet Sales hosted and sponsored this Corporate Jet Investor (CJI) Town Hall, with company founder Jay Mesinger moderating a panel of three of the industry’s leading aviation attorneys. Roughly 175 participants joined from around the world. Rather than convene brokers or statisticians, Mesinger deliberately viewed today’s market “through the eye of the transaction” — inviting some leading aviation attorneys who sit on the front lines of transactions to explain what changes in a seller’s market, and importantly where sellers get into trouble trying to sell alone.

Overall Theme & Message
Not all makes and model activity is the same today, but overall the business jet market is becoming a seller’s market: high demand, low supply, firming and in some cases rising prices, and a sustained, COVID-like activity that shows little sign of cooling. That environment and in many cases unsolicited offers tempts sellers — many of them selling for the first time — to believe the process can be compressed: to skip pre-buy inspections and due diligence, recycle an old contract, entertain unsolicited direct offers, and forgo professional representation because a deal feels easy. The panel’s unified message is that this is precisely when expert representation matters most. Compression and complexity multiply risk, and a missed contract term or delivery-condition issue may not surface until it is too late to fix. Selling well today requires the right team almost more than ever— an experienced broker, an aviation-specialized attorney, a technical/maintenance advisor, and a tax/accounting professional — each staying in their own lane.

The Panelists
Joanne Barbara — Founding Partner, Barbara & Watkins
Key takeaway: No two deals are alike in this market, so sellers cannot rely on templates. Every transaction is unique and unpredictable, buyer motivations differ (measured business buyers, eager family offices, and tax-driven buyers churning for bonus depreciation), and sellers must prepare thoroughly — knowing their own aircraft, records, and maintenance-plan status as well as or better than the buyer will.
“When you’re a seller these days, the odds are good, but the goods are odd — every transaction is a little bit kooky right now.” — Joanne Barbara

Mary Comazzi — Partner & Chair, Aviation Practice Group, Barnes & Thornburg
Key takeaway: The frenzied, compressed environment increases the likelihood of costly “misses.” Assembling the right team — and keeping every professional in their lane — is what prevents overlooked terms and rushed decisions. First-time sellers especially need education on pre-buys, delivery conditions, and why last time’s contract is the wrong instrument today.
“You always say buyer beware, but seller needs to be aware as well.” — Mary Comazzi

David Norton — Partner & Head of Aviation Practice, Shackelford, Bowen, McKinney & Norton
Key takeaway: The rush to close tempts sellers to cut corners — signing bad LOIs, using non-specialist lawyers, recycling template contracts, and leading with tax — which creates FAA and contractual problems. A seller’s contract is not simply a flipped buyer’s contract, and over-tightening the inspection is its own trap: give the buyer enough visibility that they can never later claim you hid something.
“Don’t be so tight on your inspection. You want to give a buyer enough visibility into the aircraft that you don’t open the door for them to come back later and say you hid things from them.” — David Norton

Other Themes Raised
Beyond representation, the panel flagged several recurring pressure points: longer OEM delivery lead times are lowering the supply of pre-owned aircraft due to longer transition time lines for buyers transitioning into new aircraft; imports are rising as buyers look beyond North America, and tariff still cannot be ignored; bonus depreciation continues to drive — and distort — buyer behavior, with a new wave of first-time sellers only now understanding how to sell aircraft different from other assets and confronting recapture on the gain; and a younger, less emotional generation of buyers is entering the market. On AI, consensus was cautiously optimistic: a useful tool for comparative research and a first-pass contract check, but not yet able to interpret FAA behavior, aircraft-specific maintenance nuance, or confidential deal terms — and prone to giving confident, non-compliant advice to the untrained user.

Bottom line
Our market space can be good to both buyers and sellers, but the best transactions are completed when aided by experienced aviation transaction experts. Aircraft transactions are unique from other asset transactions with their own complications and no two are exactly the same. Approach transactions carefully and engage skilled professionals to guide the adventure. The expense of having the right team far outweighs the risks of not having them in your corner. See you all in the transaction arena.