The largest sporting event in the world has arrived in the United States, and specifically, our hometown of Kansas City. Yes, I’m talking about the World Cup and “futbol.” Please don’t stop reading just yet.
I grew up with a disdain for soccer. However, my wife played in college, and my three daughters live and breathe the sport. A few years ago, I found myself standing at the “pitch” on a 100-degree August afternoon, and I was forced to make a decision: I was either going to be miserable for the next 20 years of my life, or I was going to learn to love this game. Fast forward to today, and I’m a Sporting Kansas City season ticket holder. Not only that, but I’ll be attending a World Cup match, and I’m writing about soccer in our company magazine. My 18-year-old self is wondering what happened to me.
Every four years, the world crowns a soccer champion. Coincidentally, statistics suggest that every four years, the average PC-12 changes hands.
A lot can happen in four years. We’ll likely have a new government in power. The world could face an energy crisis, a pandemic, geopolitical conflict, or tariffs that impact global trade and aviation. Sound familiar? All of these factors influence aircraft values. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, it would be foolish to ignore global markets and the impact they can have on the value of our airplanes.
The Pilatus market is truly global. In fact, approximately 40% of the worldwide PC-12 fleet is based outside the United States. In theory, that should equate to roughly 40 to 60 pre-owned transactions annually outside North America. However, in 2025, only 25 pre-owned PC-12 transactions were completed with non-North American buyers.
In 2026 that figure surged. There have already been 23 closed transactions–17 of them in Europe, which has become noticeably more active. Let’s look at some recent comparable transactions between Europe and North America.
A 10-15% higher realized value in North America is a very real number. As a result, we’ve seen broker-dealers actively acquire publicly marketed PC-12s in Europe with the sole intention of reselling them in the United States. This activity should help support European values as sellers begin to recognize that many of these transactions have effectively been occurring at wholesale-level pricing relative to North America.
I expect these “arbitrage” opportunities to become less common over time. The statistic we’ll need to watch is where the aircraft ultimately transact. If 2026 is any indication of future trends, there’s a growing probability that European-based aircraft will sell within Europe.
At this point, you’re probably thinking, “I should buy one of these European airplanes before the bargains disappear.” Not so fast, my friend. If it were truly that simple and there weren’t significant landmines hidden throughout the process, we at JetSwiss would be pursuing these opportunities ourselves.
The reality is that properly acquiring a foreign-registered aircraft is a major undertaking and carries substantial risk. We won’t dive into all of those details today, but if you’re seriously considering purchasing an aircraft outside your country’s borders, I strongly encourage you to contact us before proceeding.
North America has traditionally enjoyed home-field advantage in the Pilatus marketplace. But much like hopeful fans from France, England, or Portugal dreaming of a deep World Cup run, Europe appears to be making a serious push in the pre-owned PC-12 market.
In my view, a stronger European market ultimately strengthens the market in the United States. If U.S. buyers become less attracted to foreign inventory, their focus remains domestic, and that simply becomes a supply-and-demand equation.
As we wrap up this World Cup edition of The Pulse, let’s have a little fun. We’re going to compare the tournament’s betting odds with JetSwiss’ odds for the 2026 Pre-owned Pilatus Marketplace Championship.
Holy Europe! I like their chances of making a run at the World Cup trophy. But if I’m betting my mortgage, it won’t be on soccer. I’ll take the odds on the Pilatus market continuing to evolve, mature, and grow.
I hope everyone enjoys the tournament over the next month. I know the four ladies in my house certainly will. Which means I have another decision to make… I guess I’ll choose to enjoy the competition as well.
Fly Safe,
Scott Glenn