It looks as if the 2016 Presidential Elections are going to turn out to be a Bonanza for the general aviation sector. It seems that all the financial analysts, Flying Magazine, Private Pilot Magazine, EAA President, AOPA, AvWeb, and Aviation Week and Space Technology all agree – 2017 is the year that will break records and set a nice pace for years to come. What does this mean for those of us in the general aviation services sector? It means ‘clear skies ahead’ and profits too.
Apparently, unlike the Obama Administration the Trump Administration doesn’t see aircraft owners as some part of the Evil One Percenters – rather it sees them as winners. This is a good thing. New Business Jet Aircraft Orders are already hitting record highs merely with the anticipation of change with the new administration. Financing for new aircraft is also following suit, while smaller companies are investing in Air-Taxi Memberships, fly-sharing, and fractional jet plans. All of this is making things look rather good for those of us who’d like to get back to making money servicing all these new aircraft.
Aircraft International News had a special report in December of 2016 on the state of Corporate Aircraft Financing which stated;
“Cycles for the U.S. business aircraft fleet this year are expected to approximate the levels last seen in 2003, according to statistics provided by industry analyst JetNet. At that time, there were 9,500 business jets in service in the U.S.; today there are 12,500.”
Indeed, this trend is climbing out fast. Okay so, what does this mean for aircraft detailers? Well, it is a known fact that when aircraft owners buy new aircraft they are 50% more likely to put those aircraft on a cleaning regiment or regular customer program – including weekly washes and monthly detailing. It also means more usage of current and existing aircraft, which equate to aircraft getting dirty in shorter time intervals. It also means used aircraft will be selling again as new aircraft start to back-order. People selling used aircraft make great detailing customers.
All-in-all, 2017 and 2018 appear to be on track to break records in the General Aviation Sector and that’s just great news for all of us aircraft service industry folks who’d also like to have a couple of solid record breaking years. If you already own an aircraft detailing company – it’s time to expand. If you want to start a new aircraft cleaning company – you’ve just been cleared for takeoff.