Pre-owned business jet prices are down 40 percent from the heights of 2008 and are now on average 15 percent below “market value,” AircraftPost president Dennis Rousseau said in a recently released white paper. Despite the turbulent economy and some difficulty in finding aircraft financing, “Business jets are selling,” he said. “In the medium and long-range jet categories, 50 percent more aircraft were sold in 2009 than 2008, but the majority are selling at an average 50 percent less than market price at the height of the market.” Notably, most pre-owned business jet sales are now to foreign-based customers. Rousseau has not determined whether it is the weak dollar or fundamental need that is driving international sales. Addressing the wild fluctuations in the pre-owned business jet market over the past two years, he said, “One way to bring some stability to the aircraft market is to first understand that our industry growth is tied to the global economy.” However, Rousseau emphasized, “Business jets are depreciating assets, not commodities, and typically have a useful life of 30 years. If we were to focus more on market values when buying, selling, lending or upgrading, we could perhaps be on more stable footing during the economic swings.”