The Citation XLS+ market enters September with healthy transaction activity and relatively balanced inventory. There are currently 16 aircraft available for sale, representing 5.1% of the fleet, compared with 21 retail transactions during the past six months. Inventory declined meaningfully through the early summer before beginning to rebuild in August, while monthly sales have remained consistent throughout the entire six-month period.
Fleet Size and Availability
There are currently 16 Citation XLS+ aircraft available for sale, representing 5.1% of the fleet.
Inventory began the period at 19 aircraft in March and remained at 19 in April before increasing slightly to 20 in May. Supply then declined to 15 aircraft in June and reached a six-month low of 12 in July before rebounding to 15 in August.
Despite the recent increase, availability remains below spring levels and represents a relatively modest portion of the overall XLS+ fleet.
Market Listings
Current asking prices range from $5.256 million to $14.995 million, compared with a $6.3 million to $12.8 million range for aircraft sold during the past six months.
Current listings average 126 days on market, substantially below the 222-day average for aircraft sold during the six-month period. This suggests today’s inventory is generally fresher than the aircraft represented in recent transaction history.
The wide asking-price range also highlights the variation within the XLS+ market, making aircraft year, total time, maintenance status, engine programs, condition, and overall configuration important considerations when comparing individual aircraft.
Sales Activity
There have been 21 retail sales during the past six months, including five off-market transactions, representing 6.7% of the fleet.
Activity has been notably consistent, with at least two transactions recorded every month. Monthly sales increased from two in March to four in April, followed by three each in May and June. Activity then strengthened further with five sales in July and four in August.
Nine transactions during the past two months indicate that buyer activity remained healthy through the summer.
What this means for you:
The XLS+ is one of the stronger seller stories in this report. Twenty-one sales over six months against 16 currently available means demand has comfortably outpaced supply throughout the period. Nine transactions in July and August alone tells you summer did not slow this market down. If you are a seller, the supply-demand balance is in your favor, but the 126-day DOM for current listings versus 222 days for sold aircraft is worth understanding. The aircraft clearing quickly are the ones priced and positioned correctly. The ones approaching 222 days are not, and buyers in an active market like this will simply move on. If you are a buyer, inventory has rebuilt from its July low of 12 to 16 today, giving you more to evaluate. That said, 21 sales in six months tells you this market moves, and aircraft you are considering seriously are not likely to wait.
