IADA Dealer Confidence Rises in Q3 2026 as Seller Leverage Reaches Nearly Three-Year High

Confidence among accredited aircraft dealers rose during the third quarter of 2026, according to the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) Market Report. IADA members rated current business aircraft sales market conditions at 3.62 on a five-point scale, up from 3.45 in the second quarter and 3.47 in the same period of 2025.

IADA's buyer-seller market index, on which 1 favors sellers and 5 favors buyers, fell to 2.65 in the third quarter, from 2.74 in the second quarter and 3.16 a year earlier. The report says sellers have steadily gained leverage over the past five quarters and that the latest reading represents the strongest seller advantage in almost three years. Demand remained particularly strong for late-model, well-maintained aircraft, while limited supplies of quality inventory continued to strengthen sellers' negotiating positions.

During the first nine months of 2026, IADA Accredited Dealers completed 1,155 aircraft transactions, compared with 983 in the same period of 2025. Third-quarter transactions totaled 409, versus 367 in the third quarter of last year. New acquisition agreements reached 510 in the first nine months, and dealer inventory purchases rose to 127 aircraft. The association noted that this strength contrasts with independent research indicating more restrained transaction activity in the broader preowned business jet market.

The report attributes market health to strong financial markets, wealth creation, favorable U.S. bonus depreciation provisions and limited availability of new aircraft delivery positions. Manufacturer order backlogs extending several years have encouraged owners awaiting new aircraft to keep their existing airplanes, limiting the supply of desirable preowned aircraft. IADA Executive Director Lou Seno said many of the best aircraft now trade off-market through IADA member relationships before being publicly listed, and that the market is strong and maturing, with buyers more selective and pricing increasingly tied to aircraft condition.

Members expect continued demand over the next six months, particularly for late-model midsize and large-cabin jets, and projected generally stable conditions over the next 12 months, with sentiment leaning toward improvement. Approximately 60% of respondents expect preowned Large Jet+ prices to rise over the next six months. The IADA Market Report combines aircraft transaction activity submitted monthly by IADA Accredited Dealers with the association's quarterly Perspective Survey, which is distributed to more than 1,000 IADA members worldwide.

Across the four categories surveyed (turboprop, light jet, midsize jet and large jet), members generally expect prices to stay stable or rise modestly, with inventory stable or slightly lower. About 30% of participating dealers expect to increase their willingness to buy inventory.

Members also report buyers paying closer attention to maintenance exposure, aircraft history, equipment, registration and long-term ownership costs. Seno described pricing as increasingly tied to aircraft condition.

The pattern in these figures is a supply-constrained preowned market. When new-aircraft delivery positions are booked out for years, owners who would otherwise sell hold onto their existing jets, and the pool of desirable late-model aircraft shrinks. That dynamic hands pricing power to sellers even as buyers grow more demanding about condition and documentation.

The move of the best aircraft into off-market channels also changes how the preowned segment works in practice: access to quality inventory depends increasingly on dealer relationships rather than public listings. The gap IADA itself points to, between its members' transaction counts and the more restrained activity seen in independent research on the wider market, suggests accredited-dealer channels and the broader market are not moving in lockstep.

The next indicator is the fourth-quarter edition of the report, which will show whether the buyer-seller index keeps falling from 2.65 and whether the roughly 60% of respondents expecting Large Jet+ price increases are borne out.