FT reveals how the super-rich make money reselling private jets
The AI boom has created a new class of super-rich people and increased demand for jets with large queues. Against this background, those who buy planes, immediately began to resell them, extracting multimillion-dollar profits
A new trend has emerged in the private aviation market: owners of new business jets receive aircraft from manufacturers and immediately resell them, extracting profits of millions of dollars, the Financial Times noted.
The phenomenon was made possible by a combination of supply shortages and a sharp influx of new super-rich customers. Instead of using the planes as intended, the original buyers are turning them into a tool of quick speculation.
One of the main catalysts of demand was the boom in artificial intelligence. The emergence of a new class of super-rich people who have made fortunes in the technology sector has dramatically increased the number of potential customers. At the same time, the FT notes, manufacturers faced logistical difficulties: a lack of components and qualified labor. Production queues are growing faster than factories can produce aircraft. So, the customer who ordered the jet today, can wait for delivery until 2030, which forces to turn to dealers.
The newspaper notes that the markup on demanded models can be significant. For example, the new Gulfstream G700, which has a base value of about $80 million, can be resold at a margin of 10%.
“Depending on the model and type of aircraft, the price could rise several million dollars above the original purchase price,” said Barbara Pansadoro, partner at Addleshaw Goddard law firm.
One consultant gave a telling example: a public company ordered a private jet three years ago for $77 million. After receiving it six months ago, she immediately put up for sale for $84 million, and now the aircraft is offered on the OTC market for more than $90 million.
An additional incentive was adopted in the United States in 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill, which provided the possibility of “bonus depreciation”, which allows companies to write off the full cost of the aircraft in taxes in the first year of ownership.
Previously, buyers tried to resell the rights to future deliveries (contracts) before the aircraft was built, but now manufacturers are trying to suppress such transactions in order to control market prices. However, the current scheme - the sale of the aircraft actually delivered - bypasses those restrictions.
In response to this trend, some investors are turning to equity ownership models (e.g., through NetJets) to minimize the effort to generate excess returns.
Representatives of General Dynamics (owner of Gulfstream) and Bombardier (owner of Challenger) declined to comment to the Finacial Times.
Earlier, the Financial Times wrote that the growth of companies in the field of artificial intelligence (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) has formed a new generation of super-rich people whose consumer habits are radically different from the “old guard”. The classic luxury is replaced by functionality, privacy and biohacking – professional fitness equipment is ordered for yachts instead of catering, and in private jets – specialized artesian water and healthy food. Private aviation is not used to demonstrate status, but to save time and ensure confidentiality.
