Buy Turboprops

Turboprops are the optimum for flights up to 1,500–2,000 km: London–Geneva, Paris–Milan, Vienna–Munich. Their element is short and unpaved strips: a Pilatus PC-12 lands in 600 m, so thousands of airfields are reachable that a jet physically cannot use. An hour costs one and a half to two times less than a jet, and on legs up to 1,000 km the time penalty is only 15–25 minutes. Send us a request — we'll prepare options, calculate running costs and analyse the best fit for your task.

Single-engine aircraft take 4–9 passengers: the TBM 960 seats six over 3,200 km, the Pilatus PC-12 NGX up to nine over 3,400 km. The twin-engine King Air 360ER carries eight almost 5,000 km. Class cruise speed is 500–610 km/h. A rule of thumb: a full cabin cuts maximum range by 20–30%. Send us a request — we'll prepare options, calculate running costs and analyse the best fit for your task.

A jet is faster — 750–850 km/h versus 500–610 — and flies higher, above turbulence. The turboprop answers with economics: 220–350 L/hour versus 500–700, a charter hour from $1,800 versus $3,000+, plus access to short unpaved strips. On legs up to 1,000 km the time difference is under half an hour, so short hops make sense by turboprop and long ones by jet. Send us a request — we'll prepare options, calculate running costs and analyse the best fit for your task.

The piston step into the class starts at $1–1.5M (Piper M350); single turboprops: used TBM 850s $2–2.5M, PC-12 NG $3–5M, fresh TBM 960 and PC-12 NGX $4.5–6.5M. Twin King Air 250/350 $3–6M. Price is set by the PT6A time remaining to overhaul ($400–600K), propeller condition, avionics and airframe corrosion history. Send us a request — we'll prepare options, calculate running costs and analyse the best fit for your task.

The standard path takes 6–10 weeks. Step 1: a letter of intent (LOI) with price and terms — 3–5 days. Step 2: a 5–10% deposit into escrow and signing of the purchase agreement. Step 3: a pre-purchase inspection — 1–3 weeks. Step 4: rectification of findings and price adjustment. Step 5: closing — simultaneous transfer of funds, title and risk, technical acceptance and ferry of the aircraft.

A pre-purchase inspection (PPI) is an independent check at a certified centre: airframe, engines, corrosion, records and compliance with airworthiness directives. It takes from 3 days on a turboprop to 2–3 weeks on a heavy jet and costs $15–100K — paid by the buyer. By market practice the seller pays to rectify airworthiness-affecting defects. A seller refusing a PPI is grounds to walk away.

The import budget depends on jurisdiction. In the EU the main items are any customs duty (most business-jet codes carry reduced or zero rates) and import VAT, which varies by country of entry (for example 19–22% in much of Europe). Registration in Aruba, San Marino or the Isle of Man under operation outside the EU allows a temporary-admission regime. We produce an exact calculation before the LOI is signed — an error here costs millions.

After purchase the aircraft must be entered into service: choose a registry (Aruba, San Marino, Isle of Man or a national one), sign a management and maintenance contract with an operator, enrol the engines on a programme (ESP/JSSI), arrange insurance, hangar and crew, and plan the first maintenance. We support all of these steps. Send us a request — we'll prepare options, calculate running costs and analyse the best fit for your task.

Before a deal we check: title and absence of liens or leases (a registry title search), the full maintenance history and airworthiness-directive records, the status of heavy maintenance checks and engine time remaining, any incident involvement, and compliance with export rules. We organise this review and an independent pre-purchase inspection before any funds move. Send us a request — we'll prepare options, calculate running costs and analyse the best fit for your task.

Running costs depend on utilisation and aircraft class. Budget for fixed and variable items:

- Crew and support staff;
- Fuel and navigation charges;
- Maintenance and insurance;
- Hangar storage and airport fees;
- Management company fee.

A light jet flying 200 hours a year typically costs from USD 700,000 annually; a long-range aircraft on the same utilisation runs into several million. We prepare a cost-of-ownership calculation for the specific aircraft before you commit, so the budget holds no surprises.