CJI London 2026 Day Two: an Industry Redefining Its Future

Day Two of Corporate Jet Investor London 2026 captured a sector that is simultaneously maturing and reinventing itself. From OEM sales evolution to connectivity metrics, from brokerage economics to Flexjet’s transatlantic expansion, one message came through repeatedly: business aviation is evolving fast but not at the expense of its core values.

With thanks to Ian Petts, below is an overview of the major themes shaping the next era of aviation.

Reinventing the Business Aviation Relationship Model, Without Losing the Magic

The opening panel delivered a compelling reminder: despite decades of technological and cultural change, relationships still sell airplanes.

The landscape around us has transformed; smartphones, AI, social media, new data transparency and a radically shifted sales journey but the heart of the transaction remains human. Historically, OEMs operated like car manufacturers, working through dealers with little visibility of ultimate owners. That era is gone. Today:

• OEMs build direct, lifetime relationships with UBOs
• Aircraft sales are now a retail relationship, not a manufacturing pipeline
• Trust, consistency and institutional knowledge matter more than ever

The industry has become safer, more regulated and more operationally complex but also more sophisticated and more global. As George Galanopoulos put it, ‘we’re witnessing an industry that is mature, but absolutely not static.’

Whether grappling with geopolitics, tax regimes, AI driven behavioural insights or new operational realities, the constant remains: business aviation thrives on long term relationships and the people who nurture them.

Brokerage in 2026: Low Barriers, High Consequences

If one panel captured the modern business aviation deal environment, it was the discussion on the economics of aircraft brokerage.

The message from leaders across Jetcraft, Action Aviation, EMCJET and Aero Ventures was clear: anyone can enter brokerage, very few can execute well.

Success today requires:

• A true platform, not a one person phone based operation
• Quality research, still largely manual and context driven
• Transaction experience across cycles
• International reach, KYC discipline and deep market understanding

Valuation emerged as a critical pressure point. Round number optimism, the ‘Blue Book effect’ is increasingly dangerous. Clients cross check everything; the broker’s value lies in interpretation, nuanced market literacy and credible valuation ranges grounded in real transactions.

Technology, including AI, plays a growing role behind the scenes, improving data efficiency and pattern recognition. But it does not replace judgement. As one panellist noted: #Your best app is still your broker.’

And in a world of increasing noise, the fundamentals still matter; execution quality, reputation protection and knowing when to walk away.

Brokerage remains an endurance sport and the best players treat it that way.

The Connectivity Reset: Why IQE Will Replace Bandwidth as the New Metric

The CJI Connectivity Survey 2026 delivered several surprises and a strong message about where inflight digital experience is heading.

Passenger behaviour is shifting:

• Email and browsing are back (+14% / +21%)
• Business app usage is down (–23%)
• Streaming growth is modest
• AI usage is accelerating sharply (+16%)

These trends show a decisive move toward productivity, real time information and decision support tools rather than entertainment heavy consumption.

Crucially, the industry is measuring the wrong thing. Passengers don’t care about peak Mbps they care about consistency, latency, uptime and whether the aircraft itself is connected for real time diagnostics across engines, airframes and avionics.

This has led to a new proposed metric: IQE (Inflight Quality & Experience).

It’s a metric that bridges the gap between network performance and actual user value, a far more sophisticated benchmark for the next generation of connectivity solutions.

Flexjet’s European Expansion: A Masterclass in Strategic Scale

Flexjet’s session was a standout moment, a blueprint for what disciplined, long term growth looks like in private aviation.

With $4.5B in revenue in 2025 and $7B in aircraft orders, the company is now treating Europe as a strategic pillar, not a satellite. Highlights include:

• 20 aircraft based in Europe, with 18 more under management
• Load balancing between US and EU operations for utilisation efficiency
• A new premium lounge at Farnborough
• Heavy investment in completions, maintenance, supply chain and vertical integration
• A workforce of 5,000+, supported by strong cultural and operational frameworks
• Significant investment from LVMH and a private bank

Flexjet’s proposition is no longer just capacity; it is consistency, luxury, and a long term partnership model. Or as their team positioned it: ‘This isn’t about selling jet cards in a hot market. It’s about asking how good we can be.’

The answer, evidently, is very.

Our Takeaways:

Day Two at CJI London 2026 reinforced that business aviation is entering a new era, one in which:

• Technology accelerates decisions but doesn’t replace judgement
• Connectivity becomes a strategic enabler, not a passenger perk
• Relationships, research and reputation remain the strongest currencies
• Operators with discipline, capital and long term thinking will define the next decade
• The industry’s ‘magic’ is not nostalgia, it’s the human centre that keeps everything moving

Business aviation is evolving weekly, sometimes daily. But the companies that will lead the next 20 years are those that blend innovation with institutional memory, and that continue to treat this as a people business wrapped around extraordinary machines.

We are looking forward to the final days panels and meetings today. If you are attending feel free to reach out to Ian Petts, Barbara Shaw or Greta Kemper to learn how Martyn Fiddler can help you.