As Seen in GlobalAir: What Drives Aircraft Depreciation

March 18, 2026

As Seen in GlobalAir.com: What Drives Aircraft Depreciation, and Why Each Model Is Different

Two buyers purchase the same class of super-mid in the same year. Seven years later, one walks away with $1 million more than the other. Same market, same hold period. Different model.

In his Airmail Focus column, Guardian Jet's Levente György pulls from more than 3,000 secondary-market transactions to show why depreciation swings so widely across midsize and super-midsize aircraft and what is actually driving it.

Fleet size, operating costs, new model introductions, and institutional selling pressure: these forces shape a model's residual value long before any individual owner enters the picture.

György also covers what you can control, namely how you use the aircraft and how you price it when it's time to sell.

It's worth a read before your next transaction. View the full article at GlobalAir.com.

About the Author

Levente György is a consultant at Guardian Jet, specializing in asset management analytics, fleet planning and aircraft residual value modeling. With a STEM-MBA and background in engineering and data science, he develops financial models and market insights that guide corporate aviation investment decisions.