Greater fuel efficiency, better onboard technology and lower operational costs are seen as key reasons for a company to upgrade its current business aircraft according to a survey by independent research company Pureprofile on behalf of Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ), of senior executives from large US businesses whose companies own or lease business jets.

Analysis of JetNet data by ACJ reveals the average age of business aircraft in the US is 18.5 years. In 11 states, the average age is 20 years or more. Newer aircraft would offer better fuel efficiency, advanced technology and lower operational costs.

"Our analysis shows that a significant number of business aircraft in the US are older, and many of their owners will be looking to replace them with newer, more efficient models," says Sean McGeough, VP commercial ACJ for North America. "The level of innovation and development in the larger business aircraft segment has been staggering, and this bodes well for this market."

In another Pureprofile survey for ACJ of US-based business aviation financiers and brokers, 85 per cent said they expect to see purchases of large, heavy business jets increase over the next five years. Nearly all of those interviewed (99 per cent) said that demand for large and midsize jets is increasing at a faster rate than other categories due to their range and capacity. They also said manufacturers are driving interest in these categories with the introduction of new models, further improving the sector's appeal.

ACJ's analysis shows that there are around 1,021 business aircraft for sale in the US, and 96 of these are large, long-range jets. ACJ offers a range of large business aircraft. The recently launched ACJ TwoTwenty is carving out a whole new market segment, 'The Xtra Large Bizjet'.

The ACJ TwoTwenty offers twice the cabin real estate compared to similarly priced ultra long-range business jets with market-leading fuel efficiency and unrivalled reliability. It occupies the same parking footprint as competitive ULR jets and can take off from the same airports, but operating costs are one-third less.

With a range of up to 5,650nm (more than 12 flight hours), the ACJ TwoTwenty can meet the requirements of 99.9 per cent of all US departures, connecting city pairs including Los Angeles to London, Miami to Buenos Aires, and New York to Istanbul.

As with all ACJ aircraft, the ACJ TwoTwenty is capable of flying with up to a 50 per cent blend of kerosene and SAF while keeping to the technical specifications of Jet A. All Airbus commercial aircraft and helicopters will be capable of operating with 100 per cent SAF by 2030. This capability will play an important role in the sector's decarbonisation journey.

Over 200 Airbus Corporate Jets are in service worldwide, flying on every continent.

ACJ commissioned the independent research of 100 senior executives of large US corporations with annual revenue of $500 million or more who said their employer uses business aviation in September 2023. 87 per cent said their employer owns or leases a business jet.