Business jet acquisition: the complete process, from brief to management

A business jet acquisition follows nine steps, always in the same order: the brief, the search, the letter of intent, the escrow deposit, the purchase agreement and pre-buy inspection, technical acceptance, closing, registration, and finally management. Each step has its own document and its own adviser, and it is the sequence that protects you.

This article follows the acquisition from start to finish, with what each step commits you to and what it leaves open. The pre-owned market and 2026 prices are covered in our guide to buying a pre-owned business jet.

Our business aviation acquisitions work covers the search and the introduction: we present an aircraft that meets your brief, then introduce you to its seller. Negotiation, contracts and closing are then handled between you and the seller, with the advisers you appoint.

1. The brief: the mission before the aircraft

Everything starts with use: the usual number of passengers, the destinations, how often you fly, and whether the aircraft will be chartered out when you are not using it. That profile then filters the whole search, and it rules out aircraft more complex than the mission requires.

The budget is set at the same time, beyond the price: advisers’ fees, the inspection and the correction of its findings, escrow and title, legal costs, registration, taxes, then annual operating costs. If you fly little, the question of ownership itself comes first; we cover it in jet card vs fractional ownership.

The team is assembled before the search: an aviation lawyer, an inspection facility independent of the seller, an escrow and title agent, and a tax adviser.

2. The search: on-market and off-market

Some aircraft for sale are publicly listed, with a specification sheet and an asking price. Others are sold off-market: available without being advertised, with no listing and no public price, and shown to a few buyers chosen by the seller.

The two channels complement each other. Listings give a view of the market and of prices; off-market aircraft widen the choice when supply is scarce. An unlisted aircraft requires the same inspection, the same records review and the same title search as a listed one: discretion concerns the publicity of the sale, never the checks.

For each aircraft on the shortlist, the review covers the logbooks, the maintenance status, engine coverage under an hourly programme, declared damage and the cost of ownership.

3. The letter of intent

The letter of intent sets out the proposed price, the deposit, the place and scope of the inspection, the delivery conditions and the timetable. It generally binds neither party, apart from a few standard clauses, and is usually drafted by your lawyer.

A pre-owned aircraft is usually sold “as is, where is”. It is therefore the letter that requires, at delivery, an airworthy aircraft, up-to-date maintenance, complete records and no undeclared damage. The closing location, the governing law and who pays for ferry flights are also settled at this stage.

4. The escrow deposit

Once the letter is accepted, the deposit is paid to an independent escrow agent. It is ordinarily 5 to 10% of the price, depending on the seller and the aircraft. You will want it to remain refundable until the technical inspection is complete: after acceptance, even conditional, it is normally no longer fully refundable.

5. The purchase agreement and the pre-buy inspection

The aircraft purchase agreement makes the deal binding. It sets the deadlines for the inspection, the remediation period, the closing date, the treatment of findings and the exit points. Depending on the transaction, it is signed before or after the inspection.

The aircraft is flown to an agreed facility, independent of the seller and experienced on the type. For most jets the inspection takes two to three weeks, longer if the findings call for work. The facility issues a list of discrepancies, each with the cost of correcting it. What it should cover and who should carry it out are set out in our article on the pre-buy inspection of a private jet.

6. Technical acceptance

Three outcomes are open after the inspection: accept the aircraft, reject it, or accept it conditionally. The seller normally corrects airworthiness items; the rest is negotiated, as a price reduction or as repairs before delivery. If the seller misses the remediation period, a price reduction is usually negotiated.

After the work, an acceptance flight checks performance and the operation of the systems, and you then sign the technical acceptance.

7. Closing

Before closing, a title search identifies any liens on the airframe and on each engine. On the day, you pay the balance to the escrow agent, who pays off the seller’s creditors, releases the liens and releases funds and documents at the same time. Insurance is in place before the aircraft moves. If the purchase is financed, your lender registers its interest with the International Registry under the Cape Town Convention.

That process, its European variants and the questions to put to your lawyer are covered in our article on escrow, title and registration.

8. Registration

An aircraft has the nationality of the State in which it is registered, and can be registered in only one State at a time (Articles 17 and 18 of the Chicago Convention). The register, the ownership structure and the place where the aircraft is released for free circulation in the EU have lasting tax and regulatory consequences; they are settled with your tax adviser and your lawyer before the letter of intent.

When the aircraft changes country, the order is: deregistration from the previous register, an export certificate of airworthiness (EASA Form 27 when leaving the EU), the ferry flight, then registration on the new register.

9. Aircraft management

Last comes entry into service: conformity inspections, insurance activation, crew recruitment and training, a maintenance plan. If you place the aircraft with a management company, a management agreement sets out what it takes on.

The operating regime depends on use. Under the European framework, private flights on a jet are non-commercial operations with a complex motor-powered aircraft (Part-NCC), which require a declaration to the authority. If the aircraft is offered to third parties for payment when you are not using it, the operation in principle becomes commercial air transport under an air operator certificate; management companies then place the aircraft on their own. Who will operate the aircraft, and under which regime, is decided with your advisers before closing.

Once the aircraft is delivered, chauffeur and ground transfers fall within our Transport & Mobility service.

Conclusion

From accepted offer to closing, allow 30 to 90 days in general; from the first search to delivery, three to nine months. The inspection and the title work take most of that time.

We search for the aircraft and introduce you to its seller. Your lawyer, your inspection facility, your escrow agent and your tax adviser then each handle their own step.