Buyer guidance · Private Aviation
Buying a private jet: mission, inspection and fees
Confirm availability and scope · Published purchase fee: 1.5% · Agree an independent inspection
What to specify in a buyer mandate
If an enquiry is accepted, the written mandate must identify the search, fee, responsible parties and decisions requiring your approval. Confirm one represented side and any conflicts. This page is not an aircraft listing. Legal, tax, technical and registration advice needs appropriately qualified specialists appointed for that work.
The published aircraft purchase fee is 1.5% on completion, subject to an accepted engagement and written scope. For a $10 million purchase, it is $150,000. Inspection, legal advice, escrow, registration, taxes and delivery costs are separate and must be budgeted before commitment. The mandate records any authorised third-party costs.
Seven steps from brief to delivery
- Define the mission. Set your routes, passenger load, cabin needs, runway limits, purchase budget and ten-year ownership cost. Compare ownership with charter or fractional access if the annual use is uncertain.
- Search and shortlist. Review listed aircraft and approach owners, managers and brokers for off-market candidates. Check available maintenance records before advancing a candidate.
- Compare total cost. Include crew, hangar, insurance, maintenance reserves, engine programmes, fuel, financing and likely resale. A lower purchase price can come with higher maintenance exposure.
- Agree an offer. Set the letter of intent, inspection conditions, deposit and timetable with counsel. The deposit goes to the agreed aviation escrow agent.
- Inspect the aircraft. Appoint a suitable manufacturer-authorised facility and agree the scope for records, airframe, engines and avionics. Resolve findings through repairs, price changes or the contract's rejection process before acceptance.
- Close and register. Counsel, the escrow agent and registry specialists coordinate title, liens, payment, registration and any import or export requirements.
- Deliver and hand over. Coordinate records, programme transfers, insurance, management-company introductions where needed, and handover to your crew or appointed operator.
How to buy a private jet: the detailed process →
If available, any continuing annual review of the aircraft holding would require a separate advisory engagement, with its scope and fee agreed in writing. This guide does not offer flight operation or replace the appointed aircraft manager.
Which aircraft suit the mission?
Compare light, midsize, super-midsize, heavy and ultra-long-range jets against the mission. A turboprop can be a better fit for some regional routes and runway needs. The intended use should guide the manufacturer and model shortlist; these categories do not establish available aircraft.
Candidate manufacturers include Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer, Textron/Cessna and Pilatus. A manufacturer’s own pre-owned programme can be a better route if a factory-backed warranty is your priority. Request the aircraft-specific cover and exclusions.
Compare Phenom 300, Citation CJ4 and Pilatus PC-24 for a light-jet brief, or Gulfstream G700 and Global 7500 for long-range travel.
What private jets cost in 2026
Set the budget from a dated quote for the model, build year, hours, specification and maintenance status. Advertised asking prices and factory price estimates are not completed-sale evidence. See how much a private jet costs for sourced model figures and their dates.
Use the private jet cost calculator to compare annual ownership costs with charter. There is no single flight-hour threshold that suits every mission.
Records and inspection before acceptance
- Complete maintenance history, including damage, repairs and missing records.
- Airframe hours and cycles, engine and APU status, programme enrolment and upcoming checks.
- Avionics, required modifications and configuration against the intended operation.
- Ownership, registration and lien review by the closing specialists.
- An agreed inspection scope and a written response to every material finding.
Agree who is responsible for coordinating each stage. The inspection facility remains responsible for its technical findings. Buying, waiting or rejecting a candidate remain your decisions.
FAQ
Buying a private jet: your questions
Do you sell aircraft you own?
Passion Asset Advisory does not offer an owned aircraft on this page. Ask whether a specific enquiry can be accepted and confirm the broker's role, represented side, fee and any inventory interest before a search or purchase.
What does your aircraft acquisition service cost?
The published aircraft purchase fee is 1.5% on completion, subject to acceptance and scope agreed in writing before work. Inspection, escrow, legal, registration, tax and delivery costs are separate. Any authorised third-party costs must be recorded in the mandate.
How long does a purchase take?
For planning, allow about 2 to 4 months from mandate to delivery. The search, inspection findings, financing and registration can extend that period. Agree aircraft-specific milestones with the appointed parties; this is not a delivery commitment from the office.
Can you find off-market aircraft?
A search may include public listings and private enquiries to owners, managers and brokers. Ask whether the office can accept that scope before relying on assistance. A private approach does not establish access to a particular aircraft, an available seller or a lower price.
What does the pre-purchase inspection cover?
The agreed scope covers aircraft records, airframe, engines and avionics at a manufacturer-authorised facility. The buyer's specialists assess material findings, which must be resolved under the purchase contract before acceptance.
How Passion Asset Advisory sets out the purchase checks
Published reference terms, fee example and planning timelines reviewed September 27, 2026. Timelines are planning estimates, not transaction statistics. Model prices retain their individual source dates in the private jet cost guide.
External process reference: FAA aircraft registration, reviewed September 27, 2026. Requirements depend on the registry and aircraft. Read our editorial policy.
Reference reading
Understand the purchase before appointing a broker.
Read the Journal for aircraft budgets, role comparisons and the checks needed before an ownership decision. Any enquiry requires confirmation of availability and scope.
Compare buyer-side private jet brokers
Compare market coverage, mission analysis, inspection control, fees and the represented side. See how to compare private jet brokers for buyers. If you are preparing an exit instead, compare aircraft brokers for a private jet sale.
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