Family offices in the US prepare to upgrade their business aircraft

A desire to reduce operational costs and benefit from new, more efficient aircraft are the key drivers for U.S. family offices wanting to upgrade their business aircraft

JULY 1, 2025 – A survey 1 of U.S.-based family offices that own or lease business aircraft
reveals that 93% expect to upgrade to better or newer models within the next five years.

The study, commissioned by Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ), reveals that 75% cite a growing
focus on operational costs as a reason for wanting to upgrade their business aircraft,
followed by 73% who say it is because newer, more fuel-efficient models have been
launched.

Other reasons cited for wanting to upgrade include the need for larger aircraft as more
family members and staff are using business aviation, and the need for larger aircraft with
greater range.

Of those U.S. family offices surveyed that charter business aircraft, 87% say they are
focusing more on chartering newer, more efficient jets to help reduce the impact of their
flights on the environment.

SAF currently has a price premium compared to standard jet fuel, but 97% of U.S. family
offices interviewed say they would be prepared to increase their travel budget for business
aviation to enable their flights to use SAF more. Just over two-thirds (68%) say they would
be prepared to increase their budget by over 25% to ensure they could make more use of
SAF or newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft, and 31% say they would be prepared to increase
it by at least 50%.

When asked why they expect their family office to make greater use of business aviation,
80% say it is because of a greater focus on the well-being of family members and staff, and
this is followed by 56% who cite greater technology onboard aircraft and 44% who say an
improving sustainability record of the business aviation sector.

ACJ offers a range of large business aircraft. The recently launched ACJ TwoTwenty is
carving out a whole new market segment – ‘The Xtra Large Bizjet’.
 
The ACJ TwoTwenty offers twice the cabin real estate compared to similarly priced ULR
business jets with market-leading fuel efficiency and unrivaled reliability. It occupies the
same parking footprint as competitive ULR jets and can take off from the same airports, but
the ACJ TwoTwenty operating costs are one-third less.

With a range of up to 5,650 nm (more than 12 flight hours), the ACJ TwoTwenty can meet
the requirements of 99.9% of all U.S. departures, 2 connecting city pairs including Los
Angeles to London, Miami to Buenos Aires, and New York to Istanbul.

As with all ACJ aircraft, the ACJ TwoTwenty is capable of flying with up to a 50% blend of
kerosene and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) while keeping to the technical specifications
of Jet A. All Airbus commercial aircraft and helicopters will be capable of operating with
100% SAF by 2030. This capability will play an important role in the sector’s
decarbonization journey.

Over 200 Airbus corporate jets are in service worldwide.

Notes to Editors:

1. Airbus Corporate Jets commissioned the independent research company Pureprofile to
   survey 100 senior executives at large U.S. family offices whose organization has on
   average $3.35 billion in assets under management. The research was conducted in
   March 2024. 
2. Airbus Corporate Jets analysis of WingX data, January 2024.