What it costs to sell an aircraft
Sellers negotiate the commission and model nothing else. Then the aircraft takes six months, the inspection finds work, and the number that reaches the account bears little relation to the one that was agreed. Here is every deduction — and the one that is entirely a consequence of how you priced it.
Four things between the price and your account
Sell-side commission
The most visible cost and the one sellers negotiate hardest, usually a percentage of the sale price on a sliding scale, sometimes a flat fee, sometimes a spread you never see under a consignment deal. Worth checking what it is calculated on — gross or net of costs — and whether a co-broke for the buyer's representative comes out of it or gets added to it.
Post-inspection corrections
Whatever you agree to fix after the buyer's pre-purchase inspection comes straight out of your proceeds. Conventionally that is airworthiness discrepancies rather than the buyer's wants, but the split is decided by how carefully the letter of intent defined the boundary — which is why that document, not the inspection, is where this cost is really set.
Closing costs
Escrow and title fees, the lien release, deregistration and re-registration, an export certificate of airworthiness where the aircraft leaves the country, ferry or positioning flights, and legal. Individually small, collectively not — and cross-border sales add tax and customs steps that should be mapped weeks before closing.
Carrying cost while it sells
Hangar, insurance, crew, maintenance reserves and financing keep running for every month the aircraft has not sold. This is the deduction sellers almost never model, it is often the largest single one on a turbine aircraft, and — unlike the others — it is directly caused by how you priced the aircraft on day one.
Time on the market is a price, and you set it
Commission is visible, negotiated and argued over. Carrying cost is invisible, never negotiated, and on a turbine aircraft frequently larger. It also behaves differently from the others: commission and closing costs are consequences of the transaction, while carrying cost is a consequence of a decision you made months earlier when you chose an asking price.
That makes the trade calculable rather than a matter of nerve. Holding out for a higher number costs you carrying cost every month you wait. Cutting the price costs you the reduction — less the commission you would have paid on it, which is why a cut is cheaper than it first looks. Set those two against each other and you get the price reduction that is exactly break-even against one more month on the market.
Sellers are consistently surprised by how large that number is. It is usually well above the increase they were holding out for — which means the patient strategy was losing money the whole time, quietly, in a line item nobody had written down.
Model your net proceeds
Enter your own figures for an itemised breakdown, the net that actually reaches you, your effective cost of sale, and the price-cut break-even against one more month on the market. Nothing you enter is published, listed or shared.
Model what actually reaches you — Every deduction itemised, plus the price cut today that nets the same as one more month on the market. Free with an account; we don't publish or list anything you enter.
The cost of selling an aircraft: FAQs
How much does it cost to sell an aircraft?
There is no single percentage, because the four components move independently: sell-side commission, whatever you agree to correct after the pre-purchase inspection, closing costs, and the carrying cost of however long it takes to sell. The first is negotiated, the second depends on the aircraft's condition and how the letter of intent was written, the third is fairly predictable, and the fourth is a function of your asking price. Modelling all four against your own figures is the only way to get a real answer — a headline commission rate on its own tells you very little.
What is the difference between sale price and net proceeds?
The sale price is the headline. Net proceeds are what actually reaches your account after commission, post-inspection corrections, closing costs, the carrying cost accumulated while the aircraft was on the market, and settling any outstanding loan or lease. The gap between the two routinely surprises sellers who negotiated hard on the headline and never modelled the rest, and it is entirely possible for a higher sale price achieved six months later to net less than a lower one accepted immediately.
Does the seller or buyer pay for the pre-purchase inspection?
Conventionally the buyer pays for the inspection itself, as their due diligence, while the seller corrects airworthiness discrepancies it uncovers. Variations exist — splitting disassembly and reassembly, or the seller contributing where the aircraft has been on the market a while. What matters more than the invoice is that the letter of intent states who pays for which element, because an unstated assumption here surfaces at the worst possible moment.
What is the carrying cost of an aircraft that hasn't sold?
Everything that does not stop when you decide to sell: hangarage, insurance, crew salaries if you retain them, maintenance reserves and programme payments, and financing on any outstanding loan. Because it accrues monthly regardless of activity, it converts time on the market directly into money, which is what makes an optimistic asking price expensive in a way that is invisible at the moment you set it.
Is it better to accept a lower offer now or hold out for more?
It is an arithmetic question rather than a matter of nerve, and it can be answered. Holding out costs you carrying cost every month. Cutting the price costs you the reduction, less the commission you would have paid on it. Set those equal and you get the reduction that is exactly break-even against one more month on the market — often a larger number than sellers expect, which is why holding out for a modest increase frequently nets less than accepting sooner. The calculator on this page computes that break-even from your own figures.
Do I pay tax on selling my aircraft?
Very likely something, but what depends entirely on your jurisdiction, how the aircraft was held and used, what depreciation or capital allowances you claimed, and whether the sale crosses a border. Depreciation recapture, capital gains and sales or transfer taxes can all apply, and an aircraft held in an entity behaves differently from one held personally. This is genuinely a question for a tax adviser who can see your position — not something to estimate from a web page.
Want a realistic read on the timeline?
The carrying-cost line depends entirely on how long your type is taking to sell right now. Tell us the model, year and hours and we'll give you an honest view — including whether the answer is to wait.