Ionic Insights: The Installed Business Jet Fleet in Australia (August 2022)

In this, our fifth edition of Ionic Insights we focus on Australia. We analyse the size, make-up and age of the installed fleet, whilst simultaneously investigating the most numerous aircraft registries and base locations.

Analysis

Being the sixth largest country in the world by land mass, Australia has a relatively large installed fleet of 226 aircraft.

Despite having an economy only one tenth of the size and a population one fiftieth of that of its largest trading partner, China, the installed fleet is only 7% smaller.

The presence of many large domestic and multinational corporations, particularly in the mining, agricultural and financial services sectors, drives the ownership of heavy, ultra-long-range aircraft at the top end. It is not surprising therefore that two-thirds of these aircraft are based in the financial centres of Sydney and Melbourne; whilst over a third of all aircraft are based in Sydney (Australia’s most populous city) and New South Wales alone.

The dominant aircraft category is the Light/Very-Light Jet segment – which represents around two thirds of the overall market. Cessna is the largest OEM by fleet size with approximately 37% of the fleet; Bombardier (including Learjet) is in second with 35%.

The prevalence of large numbers of Light/Very-Light aircraft (and their resultant small deal sizes) means that the opportunities for attracting international, cross-border financing are comparatively limited. However, the strong overall economy, English common law-based legal system and the presence of independent aircraft management companies (ExecuJet Australia being the largest) are strong positives for those financing larger aircraft.

The average age of the fleet is twenty-two years; and whilst nearly nine out of every ten aircraft are registered in Australia (VH-), the remainder are registered in the U.S., with a single aircraft being registered in the Cayman Islands (VP-C).

This analysis is summarised in the following slide:

The Installed Business Jet Fleet in Australia, August 2022.