Market Spotlight: Light and Very Light Jets

There were 1,197 business jets based in Asia-Pacific at the end of Q3 2025, with some 56.6% in the Large Cabin, Long Range and Corporate Airliner categories, highlighting the strong preference for these types in the region. This fleet composition is very different from that of North America; Latin America & Caribbean and Europe. Only the Middle East-based fleet had a higher concentration of large business jets.

At the other end of the scale are the Very Light Jet (VLJ) and Light Jet (LJ) categories – which only accounted for 7.9% and 10.7% of the Asia-based fleet, respectively. There was also a significant difference in terms of fleet size between different countries in the region. For the Oceania-based fleet, the fleet share of VLJ was 19.2% and 38.1% for the LJ category.

Flight activity data for Q3 2025 shows that the most popular business jet types flying in Asia-Pacific, in terms of flying hours and number of departures, were led by the Long Range Gulfstream G600/G650 series and the Bombardier Global Express/6000/6500 series. At the same time, almost 70% of the flights recorded during Q3 2025 were under two hours in duration. The most popular business jet routes within Asia-Pacific included Singapore – Jakarta; Mumbai – New Delhi; Melbourne – Sydney and Singapore – Kuala Lumpur, which are all typically under two hours flight time, and within the capabilities of smaller business jets, including LJs and VLJs. There is clearly a strong preference for large business jets in the region, even on short flights.

There was a combined fleet of more than 320 LJs and VLJs operating in Asia-Pacific by Q3 2025, an increase of just 14.5% compared to ten years ago.

Around 50% of the fleet is based in Oceania, with Australia having the largest based fleet with 135, which comprised 45 VLJs and 90 LJs. The Australian business aviation market has somewhat different dynamics compared to the rest of Asia-Pacific, and is more comparable to that in North America and Europe, where smaller jets are more frequently used.

Japan had the second largest fleet of LJs and VLJs in Asia-Pacific, with a 50/50 split between the two categories. The fleet comprised a mix of private/corporate aircraft and those available for charter. The majority of Japanese domestic city pairs can be served by LJs and VLJs, with charter companies marketing their flights on LJs and VLJs as “value” business jet flights with comparably low fares.

India’s fleet of LJs and VLJs had grown to 46 jets by the end of Q3 2025, with 15 VLJs and 31 LJs. Demand for domestic business aviation has been growing in India and operators have introduced additional LJs and VLJs into this competitive market. Demand in the Greater China region has traditionally focused on the Long Range business jet, and virtually all of the 27 LJs and VLJs based in the region are used for flight training and other special missions, rather than as corporate or charter aircraft. There were 17 LJs and VLJs based in the Philippines at the end of Q3 2025, and 11 were based in New Zealand.

Almost 34% of the Asia-Pacific based LJ/VLJ fleet were 20 years or older at the end of Q3 2025, and 56% were aged 16 years or older. This clearly highlights the ageing fleet and replacement opportunities over the next decade. While some LJs and VLJs will no doubt be replaced by larger aircraft, demand for LJs and VLJs is expected to remain fairly high. The latest generation LJs such as the Pilatus PC-24 has very high performance for this class of business jet, which exceeds that of the older generation aircraft. Operators looking to replace larger jets could also switch to the latest generation of LJs and VLJs for increased cost efficiency.

The Cessna Citation 525A (CJ2) family was the most popular Light Jet based in Asia-Pacific at the end of Q3 2025 with a fleet of 29. India had the largest fleet with 12 aircraft, mostly with corporate operators. Eight CJ2s were based in Australia with six in Japan. The Japan based CJ2s comprised a mix of corporate use and charter aircraft. There were 28 Learjet 35/36 based in Asia-Pacific with an average fleet age of over 40 years. Australia had the largest based fleet with 21 aircraft, followed by mainland China with five. Nearly all of the fleet were deployed in special missions such as airborne remote sensing and defense related use. The 27 Citation 550 series based in Asia-Pacific were operated in numerous roles, including corporate, calibration and aerial photography. Australia was home to the largest based fleet of Citation 550s with 12 aircraft.

The Pilatus PC-24 is the latest generation LJ and has built a fleet of 26 in Asia-Pacific since 2018. The type was also the third most popular in Asia-Pacific in terms of number of departures in Q3 2025, and exceeded the number of flight hours of some traditionally more popular large jets such as the Gulfstream G450 and Embraer Legacy 600/650. Australia accounted for more than half of the Asia-Pacific-based fleet of PC-24s with 14, flying a mix of corporate, charter and medevac missions. Six PC-24s were based in India at the end of Q3 2025, three in Japan, two in the Philippines and one in New Zealand.

The most popular VLJ based in Asia-Pacific was the Citation 525 (CJ1/M2) series with a fleet of 45, including 16 based in Australia, used for both corporate and charter flights. There were 14 525s based in mainland China, with the vast majority used in flight training, highlighting the popularity of the type in this role. Another popular Cessna VLJ is the Citation 510 Mustang, which is no longer in production. There were 28 Mustangs based in Asia-Pacific at the end of Q3 2025, with 18 based in Australia, four in New Zealand and three in Japan.

Popularity of the HondaJet in Asia-Pacific has increased considerably over the past few years, and 24 were based in the region at the end of Q3 2025. Perhaps not surprisingly, the type is most popular in Japan with 17 based, with five in Thailand, one in Malaysia and one in mainland China. The type is used in a mix of private, corporate and charter roles.

A total of 21 LJs and VLJs were added to the Asia-Pacific based business jet fleet during the first three quarters of 2025, which comprised 13 LJs and eight VLJs, which included new build deliveries and preowned aircraft. The most popular types added were the PC-24 (six), Beechcraft Premier I (four) and Citation 525A (three).

The three most popular types of LJs and VLJs currently in production are the HondaJet ELITE (VLJ), Cessna 525 M2 (VLJ) and Pilatus PC-24 (LJ). The PC-24 has much potential to become even more popular in Asia-Pacific, thanks to its high performance, versatility and relatively low operating costs. The M2 is now the smallest jet offered by Cessna, following the decision to cease production of the Mustang. The HondaJet ELITE has strong branding and has been well proven in markets outside of Asia-Pacific. It was introduced relatively late to Asia-Pacific, especially in Japan, but it has grown significantly in popularity and expected to be a leading type. HondaJet is introducing its Echelon model, a light jet with a range of 2,625 nautical miles (transcontinental US capability) and expected to enter service in 2028. The Echelon should become a popular type in Asia-Pacific with its long range and expected low operating costs.

Data Source: Conklin & de Decker, ASG

Note: Using Conklin de Decker data under the assumption of 400 flight hours per year. The number of total aircraft in operation are from AMSTAT and ASG, which might differ from OEM’s official numbers.

While the LJ and VLJ fleets in Asia-Pacific are not expected to grow significantly in the next five to ten years, demand for these smaller jets could increase in some markets such as Japan and India. Replacement requirements will be increasing into the 2030s with some aircraft reaching almost 50 years of age. There are relatively few options for new build LJs and VLJs, but the current in production models and upcoming models should satisfy the needs of Asia-Pacific users and operators.