Page 9 - March 2023

same market as the new airplanes of the same series, but that has changed. The reality is that banks and finance companies have been harder on older aircraft for many years. While that put downward pressure on the values (think cash buyer), that was the only real problem.
In today’s market we have another factor: insurance. If you tell a prospective buyer they can’t get financing, many will just pay cash. But if you tell them their insurance may be a lot more expensive, they start to think a newer airplane might be worth looking into. This is not only an unease for buyers of older airplanes, it is a concern for those purchasing newer airplanes, as well.
The reality is that the older airplanes will be leaving the operational fleet in record numbers over the next few decades. Of the 6,165 King Airs still flying, more than 2,000 are over 40 years old! The fact is that the already scarce late model King Airs are probably going to become even harder to find. There are a lot of new turboprop airplanes being built, not just King Airs, but Pilatus, TBMs, Pipers and the new Beechcraft Denali. The new airframes will help, but overall, as the older airplanes fall away and the only replacement options are new airplanes, the prices will continue to rise.
The other issue is that the TBMs and Piper M600 might be a decent replacement for the 90 series aircraft, the Pilatus and the Denali very good replacements
MARCH 2023
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 7