How to Sell a Private Jet — The Advisory Process

Selling a private jet is not a listing exercise — it is a structured, confidential transaction that moves through valuation, marketing, a Letter of Intent (LOI), an Aircraft Purchase Agreement (APA), a pre-purchase inspection (PPI), and closing.

Done well, it protects the seller's price and timeline; done casually, it leaves money and months on the table. The right approach for most owners is a single exclusive sell-side mandate with one advisor accountable from valuation to delivery, rather than the same aircraft drifting across multiple brokers.

This guide explains how the advisory process works, what a seller controls, and how a cross-border sale — including an aircraft registered in Brazil with ANAC — is structured and delivered to a buyer anywhere in the world.

Why representation matters before you list

The single most expensive decision in selling an aircraft happens before it ever reaches the market: how it is priced and positioned. An aircraft that enters overpriced and corrects later signals weakness, accumulates days on market, and ultimately sells for less than one priced correctly from day one. The job of a sell-side advisor is to remove that risk — to benchmark the aircraft against what the market actually pays, prepare a complete and verifiable records package, and control the flow of information so that negotiating leverage stays with the seller.

Jet Match represents owners under exclusive mandates and never represents both sides of a transaction. That single-party alignment is the structural reason an exclusive mandate outperforms scattering one aircraft across several intermediaries: there is one strategy, one message to the market, and one team accountable for the outcome.

The advisory process, step by step

Every aircraft is different, but a well-run sale follows the same sequence. The steps below are the standard Jet Match process; the timeline of each depends on the model's market liquidity, the records, and the cycle.

Step 1 — Valuation & market positioning. Pricing strategy is built on Jet Match Market Intelligence, benchmarking the aircraft against real, comparable transactions — not retail asking prices.

Step 2 — Preparation & presentation. Records review, specification sheet, and a professional presentation package. The objective is that the aircraft enters the market complete: logbooks reconciled, status documented, and the story a buyer's technical team will ask about already answered.

Step 3 — Marketing & global distribution. A targeted campaign to qualified buyers, brokers, and operators worldwide, through the advisor's network. For owners who require discretion, the aircraft can be marketed off-market — presented directly to qualified buyers without a public listing.

Step 4 — Offers & Letter of Intent (LOI). Management of incoming offers and negotiation of the LOI, which sets price, deposit, inspection scope, and the timeline. The LOI is where most of the commercial battle is won or lost; it deserves the same rigor as the contract that follows.

Step 5 — Negotiation & Aircraft Purchase Agreement (APA). Specialized legal counsel drafts the APA; the advisor leads the commercial terms while protecting the seller's position on deposit, inspection remedies, delivery conditions, and walk-away rights.

Step 6 — Pre-purchase inspection (PPI). Coordination of the inspection at an approved MRO, and management of the discrepancy list it produces. How squawks are categorized and who bears them is negotiated against the APA — another point where experienced representation protects the seller.

Step 7 — Closing, de-registration & delivery. Escrow, title clearance, funds flow, and — for cross-border sales — de-registration from the current registry, export, and delivery to the buyer's base. Title and the technical aircraft are transferred cleanly, and the seller's obligations end at a defined point.

Why an exclusive mandate, not multiple brokers

Owners sometimes assume that listing an aircraft with several intermediaries widens reach. In practice it does the opposite. A single aircraft visible through multiple parties — often at slightly different prices and messages — signals a motivated seller and erodes leverage. An exclusive mandate concentrates the effort: one valuation, one market message, one point of accountability, and full control of confidentiality. The advisor's incentive is aligned with the seller's, and the aircraft is presented to the market once, correctly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the process for selling a private jet?

The standard process has seven stages: valuation and market positioning; preparation and presentation; marketing and global distribution; offers and Letter of Intent (LOI); negotiation and Aircraft Purchase Agreement (APA); pre-purchase inspection (PPI); and closing, de-registration, and delivery.

Should I sell my aircraft through one broker or several?

An exclusive sell-side mandate with a single advisor generally outperforms listing with several intermediaries. One aircraft visible through multiple parties signals a motivated seller and erodes leverage, while an exclusive mandate concentrates the strategy, the market message, and accountability — and gives the seller full control of confidentiality.

Can my aircraft be sold confidentially, without a public listing?

Yes. Off-market sales present the aircraft directly to qualified buyers in the advisor's network, without public listing distribution — appropriate for owners who require discretion.

What does a sell-side aircraft broker do?

A sell-side advisor manages the entire sale on the owner's behalf: valuation and market positioning, preparation of the records and presentation package, marketing to qualified buyers worldwide, negotiation of the LOI and APA, coordination of the pre-purchase inspection, and closing — including de-registration and export on cross-border transactions. Jet Match represents sellers under exclusive mandates and never represents both sides of a transaction.

Considering selling your aircraft? Jet Match represents owners under exclusive mandate — from a confidential valuation to cross-border closing and delivery. Request a valuation.