Business aviation leaders address market uncertainty during CJI event in Miami Beach

Leaders and dealmakers in the business aviation industry gathered this week in Miami Beach for the annual U.S. version of the Corporate Jet Investor conference.

From poolside cocktail hours to insightful panels, the event draws industry leaders from around the country and the world to share ideas and talk shop.

While much of the talk in 2021 was about unprecedented growth and meeting demand with a limited supply chain, the 2022 edition focused more on how to navigate the uncertain economic path ahead in what still remains a historically strong bizjet market.

Among the panels and speakers included a group of brokers and aircraft sales representatives such as Matthieu Rosanvallon of Freestream Aircraft, Ryan Scott of JetAVIVA, Eric Deye of QS Partner, Chris Milligan of Bombardier, Brian Olds of Northern Jet Management, and Sherry Cannon of Equus Global Aviation.

Other panelists included JETNET iQ creator Rollie Vincent, who provided insight on the unprecedented rise in business aircraft use and the uncertain times ahead.

In addition to touching on some of the insights that he provided earlier this month during NBAA-BACE, including the challenges of finding enough pilots and the disparity of how the aviation industry is viewed in Europe compared to the rest of the world, he also addressed the hot bizav market and how the tide might be starting to change.

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JETNET iQ shows that business aviation activity in the U.S. compared to overall GDP has swung sharply higher since the pandemic, at a sharply higher rate, surpassing highs set before the Great Recession.

In past years of GDP retraction, even a slight dip, such as in 2008 and 2009 and again in 2020 has prompted a massive reduction in private jet flights.

“We don’t just get a cold, we get pneumonia,” he said before noting that the models already are showing early signs now of a sagging flight activity.

“I’m not a worry wart,” he added. “I don’t worry about these things; I think about these things. We are going to get through this. But we are going to see a slowdown in flight activity.”

Corporate Jet Investor returns to Miami Beach next year, Nov. 6-8 at Fontainebleau.