Each January I sit down to write the annual article on the King Air market and each year I wonder how different the market may look by the time it is published – and by the time you, the reader, are reading these words.
First, a look back at 2025
I’ll start with a recap of 2025 because it was a particularly interesting year for the King Air market. It had its highs and lows, but overall, it was marked by less volatility than the prior few years.
Across the entire King Air market – all models – the average number of transactions per month declined slightly yet remained consistently between 30 and 40 aircraft. It is important to note that the total number of aircraft listed for sale rose above 300 during 2025, even as completed sales dipped modestly. This was not because of a lack of demand. Demand remains at all-time highs. Rather, it has simply become more difficult to find and purchase nice examples of popular King Air models.
The legacy 90-series King Airs – C90, C90-1 and E90 – generally followed the overall market trend. Fewer airframes transacted while the number of aircraft advertised for sale increased. Demand for these older aircraft has been less consistent than for later models, with pricing driving most transactions. The result has been a steady downward trend in sales prices.
I address the F90/F90-1 market separately because it is the most volatile King Air submarket. It is small with a loyal following and as a result a few transactions up or down can quickly make the market feel very hot or very soft. The F90 market was hot in 2024 but turned frigid in 2025 and has remained very slow over the last 12 months. I expect this market to rebound with 2026 looking to be a better year in availability of decent airframes and total number of sales.
The C90A/B, GT, GTi and GTx market has been steady with sales following the overall trend, though instead of a consistent rise in inventory numbers we saw sales volume rise early in the year and then decline in the third and fourth quarters.
The total number of B200, 250 and 260 transactions declined slightly in 2025, but demand – especially in the later model airframes – continued to grow. Late-model 260 pricing has reached eye-watering levels, which is not surprising given the widely known reality that much of future 260 and 360 production is expected to be absorbed by military orders.
The King Air 350/350i market was where 2025 became truly interesting. This segment was hit hard by the influx of former Wheels Up tails hitting the market. In fact, the decline started before these aircraft hit the market, and the anticipation proved worse than reality.
The year started slowly for the 350/350i segment, and by summer the market was effectively dead – even nice, low-time 350i aircraft sat unsold. This changed by the end of the third quarter with low-time 350i planes disappearing from the market faster than pancakes on a Saturday morning.
The King Air 350/350i market took us on a wild ride in 2025, so what will 2026 hold? Let’s start at the bottom and find our way there!
What to expect in 2026
As most of my regular readers know, my crystal ball died of COVID-19 back in 2020. The last five years have been anything but predictable. I think we are now seeing greater stability, but with high demand and an aging fleet, you really must dig in and evaluate each King Air submarket individually.
90 series outlook
Legacy 90s: Values will likely be flat, with normal depreciation resuming as aircraft continue to age, meaning most aircraft will fall in price each year.
Newer 90s: Expected to remain fairly flat and may represent some of the best value propositions for buyers.
Late model 90s: Strong resale values should continue. The reality is that Beech just didn’t build many and ended production, creating lasting scarcity.
200 series outlook
Legacy 200s: Showing signs of weakness. As with the legacy 90 series, I expect normal annual depreciation to resume and values of these airframes to trend downward.
Newer & late model 200s: These airframes are in high demand and I’m not seeing indications of lower prices. It is a very complicated market, though, and we still see discerning and strategic buyers able to purchase high-pedigree airframes below inflated market pricing.
300 series outlook
Early 300s (early 1990s 350 airframes): These aircraft offer a lot of airplane for the money. It’s not uncommon for us to find these airplanes priced similarly to well-kept B200s! The required type rating is a small price to pay for getting a double-club cabin and 295 knot speed.
Newer 300s (post serial No. 500): Highly desirable models and I expect prices to increase if for no reason other than the aircraft above them selling for higher prices.
Late model 300s: Later King Air 350i aircraft are seeing a resurgence in values now that the Wheels Up disruption has shaken out. The market has split between high-time, former Wheels Up airframes and low-time privately operated airframes. The potential buyer for one is different from the other. We see consistent values and plenty of availability in the higher-time units and skyrocketing prices and scarcity with the lower-time planes. I expect late-model, low-time King Air 350i and 360 aircraft values to continue increasing as demand far exceeds availability. As with the 260 market, limited availability of new deliveries to nonmilitary operators will continue to drive higher prices.
I focused a lot on the airframe age for this article because I suspect this will continue to be a larger factor in King Air values. In fact, you could almost draw a linear graph of desirability and overlay it with year of production and see them closely align.
For simplicity’s sake, we could break it down by decades:
1979 and older: Values are likely at or near the bottom. Demand continues to drop.
1980-1989: Values face steady decline, even for well-maintained, low-time examples.
1990-1999: Values should remain fairly steady because these were years of low production numbers for Beechcraft. These aircraft are new enough to attract buyers seeking later-model feel without later-model pricing.
2000-2009: The year 2000 marks the informal break between older and newer. We unofficially refer to anything older than 2000 as legacy. Most prospective King Air buyers today prefer aircraft younger than 25 years old. The 2000-2007 B200 airframes are seeing high demand and are popular platforms for Blackhawk, Raisbeck and Garmin upgrades.
In 2008, the B200GT (-52 engines) replaced the -42-powered B200 and a few years later was superseded by the King Air 250 (-52 and winglets).
Another note in this decade: the 350 market has a second division at serial No. 500 (2006), when the superior Keith Freon Air Conditioning system was introduced.
2010-2019: These airframes are considered relatively new in the King Air world. Production volumes were modest, and many models of this vintage were exported when new. That means a limited pool of high-pedigree, U.S.-based King Airs that are 2010 or newer. Values are strong and I expect they will remain robust.
2020 and newer: Production numbers have declined since 2020 even with increased demand. Combined with military orders, this suggests privately held 260s and 360s will continue to have strong resale values – at least until the new Beechcraft Denali single-engine turboprop enters service and begins to satisfy some of the unmet demand.
Bottom line: Scarcity, pedigree and age will matter more than ever in 2026. I expect legacy airframes to continue to slowly decrease in value and later-model King Air aircraft to maintain values while near-new airframes increase their values.