Aircraft Acqusition

Aircraft acquisitions can look fairly simple from the outside: find the aircraft, agree on a price, and close the transaction. In reality, there are usually several moving pieces, and the process can look different depending on whether you are buying a business jet, helicopter, turboprop, commercial aircraft, or putting together a lease.

The good news is that you do not need to become an aviation expert before you begin. You just need to start with a clear understanding of what you are trying to accomplish.

It Starts With the

Requirement

The first conversation should not really be about what aircraft is available. It should be about what you need the aircraft to do.

For a private client, that may mean understanding where you travel most often, how many people usually fly with you, and how much range or cabin space makes sense.

For an airline or operator, the conversation may be about routes, fleet compatibility, passenger or cargo configuration, engine preferences, delivery timing, or the number of aircraft needed.

Sometimes a client already knows exactly what they want. Other times, they simply know they need more range, more capacity, better access, or additional lift. Both are perfectly reasonable places to begin.

Once the requirement is clear, the search becomes much more intentional.

Then We Look at How the

Transaction Should Be

Structured

Buying the aircraft outright is only one option.

Depending on the client and the aircraft, the transaction may involve:

• A direct purchase

• Financing

• An operating or finance lease

• A lessor purchasing the aircraft and leasing it to the operator

• Another structure designed around the client's objectives

This is especially common with commercial aircraft. An airline may need an aircraft but have no desire to purchase it directly. In that case, the right solution may be finding the aircraft and bringing in a leasing company that is comfortable acquiring the asset and placing it with the operator.

The structure matters because it affects which opportunities make sense and which parties need to be involved.

Finding an Aircraft

Is Only the Beginning

Once we understand the requirement, we begin looking at what is actually available in the market.

Some aircraft are publicly marketed, while others are circulated privately through owners, operators, leasing companies, asset managers, financial institutions, and aviation networks.

At this stage, we are not simply asking, “Is there an aircraft available?”

We also want to know whether it actually fits the assignment.

That may mean reviewing the aircraft's age, configuration, maintenance position, engines, records, current location, upcoming inspections, delivery condition, and the economics of the transaction.

Two aircraft that appear nearly identical at first glance can look very different once those details are considered.

This Is Where

Due Diligence

Matters

Once a serious opportunity has been identified and preliminary commercial terms are coming together, the transaction becomes much more detailed.

Technical specialists may review the aircraft and its records. Legal teams may look at title, ownership, contracts, liens, registration, and regulatory requirements. If financing or leasing is involved, the lender or lessor will conduct its own underwriting as well.

International transactions can add export, import, customs, deregistration, and delivery requirements.

It sounds like a lot because, sometimes, it is. But these pieces are not meant to make the transaction complicated for the client. They are meant to make sure everyone understands exactly what is changing hands before the aircraft is delivered.

Commercial Terms Bring

the Deal Together

Once the parties are comfortable moving forward, the commercial terms begin to take shape.

For a purchase, that may include the price, deposit, inspection rights, delivery condition, closing timeline, and what the seller is responsible for completing before delivery.

For a lease, the conversation may include lease term, rental rate, deposits, maintenance reserves, delivery requirements, and return conditions.

This is also where good coordination matters. The aircraft, financing, technical review, legal documents, and delivery schedule all need to keep moving toward the same closing date.

Finally, the Aircraft Is

Delivered

By the time an aircraft reaches delivery, much of the work has already happened behind the scenes.

The documents have been negotiated, diligence has been completed, funding is ready, insurance and registration are being coordinated, and the aircraft has met the agreed delivery conditions.

Depending on the transaction, the final stage may also involve ferry arrangements, repainting, cabin reconfiguration, maintenance work, export or import coordination, or transitioning the aircraft into an operator's fleet.

Once those pieces are complete, the aircraft can move into service with its new owner or operator.

It Is Really About Keeping

the Pieces Connected

The acquisition process is not difficult because there is one unusually complicated step. It is complicated because several important things are happening at the same time.

The aircraft needs to fit the mission. The economics need to make sense. The technical condition needs to be understood. The transaction structure has to work, and everyone involved needs to be able to get to closing.

That is where experienced representation becomes valuable.

At Reservoir Aviation Group, we help clients move through that process from the first conversation through sourcing, evaluation, negotiation, diligence, financing or leasing coordination, closing, and delivery. We also work with aircraft owners who are preparing to sell, helping position those opportunities and connect them with qualified buyers, operators, and capital partners.

Every transaction is a little different, which is why we begin by listening. Once we understand what you are trying to accomplish, we can help determine the most practical path to get there.

Ronald K. Jones II
Co-Founder