How to sell my aircraft: the complete seller's guide

How to sell an aircraft, step by step

1. 01

   Arrive at a price range with comparables

   Asking price is your decision; market value is a reading of the comparables. Start with the range (never a single number) and only then set the ask. Jet Tracker does this first read in the aircraft valuation tool.

2. 02

   Do your own due diligence before the buyer does

   Open the RAB, check the Airworthiness Verification Certificate (CVA), see whether a lien is recorded and organize the logbooks. Every open item the buyer finds on their own becomes an argument for a discount.

3. 03

   Choose the channels and the mandate

   Portals, a broker, your network of contacts or a combination. If there is more than one channel, define in writing who holds the mandate and how commissions work.

4. 04

   Negotiate with data and protect the closing condition

   An offer with conditions precedent (pre-buy and certificates), a counteroffer with comparables and a floor only you know.

5. 05

   Transfer ownership in the RAB

   Sale notice, transfer request, release of the lien when there is one. Title only passes with the recording.

How much to ask: what to do with the value range

The valuation delivers a range. The ask is your choice within it and around it, and the choice depends on one question: do you need to sell in weeks, or can you wait for the right buyer? The Jet Tracker result itself separates the two: besides the market range, it shows a quick-sale scenario in Brazil, which the tool describes as a price for liquidity, calibrated with a few professional appraisals of the Brazilian market. It is not market value, and the sample is small, so it works as an order-of-magnitude reference.

The pricing mistakes that show up most in practice share the same root: treating the ask as value.

• Asking what you paid. The acquisition cost from years ago does not enter the buyer's math. They compare against what is listed today.
• Ignoring the direct competitor. If other units of the same model are for sale with fewer hours or an engine on a program, your ask needs to hold up against them. The listings for your model are in the market tab of the catalog.
• Forgetting the maintenance that is coming. An informed buyer discounts the major inspection and the engine overhaul they will pay for right after the purchase.
• Leaving no margin. An ask equal to the floor leaves no room to negotiate, and the buyer expects to negotiate.

What to sort out before listing

The buyer will check four fronts: registration, airworthiness, liens and maintenance. The cheapest way not to be surprised is to check everything beforehand, the way they will. The full roadmap from the buyer's side is in due diligence when buying an aircraft.

The aircraft's public page in Jet Tracker shows the CVA validity and whether there is a lien on the registry, the same reading a buyer makes. It works as a mirror: if the page shows a lien you thought had been released, find out before you list. For an aircraft that is yours, the My aircraft page brings together, once you claim the registration, the CVA, the listing and the inquiries received.

Where to list and with whom

There are three paths, and they combine: classified portals, a broker or dealer, and a direct network of contacts. The portals most cited in the market are the international ones (Controller, AvBuyer, GlobalAir) and Brazilian ones such as aeronavesavenda.com. A listing with a complete spec sheet and up-to-date hours generates more offers than one with little data. A broker specialized in your model knows buyers who never look at classifieds. The commission is negotiated case by case, and Jet Tracker has no average percentage to cite.

If the aircraft goes to more than one channel, align from the start on who holds the sales mandate. Two intermediaries with the same airplane and different commissions is the classic source of conflict.

To get a sense of the shop window: as of Oct 12, 2026, Jet Tracker was monitoring 1,410 active aircraft listings in Brazil, of which 366 with a public price (the rest are "price on request"). Source: public listings monitored. Most listings do not show a price, and that goes for yours too: whoever hides the value attracts the curious and loses the direct comparison.

Jet Tracker is independent and neutral: it does not sell aircraft or act as a broker. What it offers the seller is a market reading. The Sales Radar cross-checks listings with the RAB by registration, and the full list sits in the paid plans (Free sees a sample). The snapshot of the aircraft-for-sale market page shows the overall picture.

How long does it take to sell an aircraft?

There is no reliable average timeframe to cite. Jet Tracker measures how long each listing has been up, by model, in the Sales Radar (read from the Pro plan), and only shows the median when there is a minimum sample. That number is time listed, not time to sell: a listing comes down because the aircraft sold, because it expired or because the seller gave up, and the portal does not always say which of the three. What is known about the market, without a number, is the order of what speeds things up: a price in line with the range, documentation checked, complete logbooks and a listing with data and professional photos.

How ownership passes from one owner to another in the RAB

The legal point that most surprises a first-time seller: the purchase and sale contract does not transfer title to the aircraft. Under the Brazilian Aeronautical Code (Law 7,565/1986), ownership is acquired by recording the transfer title in the Brazilian Aeronautical Registry (art. 115, item IV), and titles by act between living persons only transfer title from the date they are recorded (art. 115, §2). In other words, until the RAB records it, the aircraft remains in the seller's name.

In practice, the flow has two ends, with deadlines. Under ANAC Resolution 293/2013 (compiled text on the ANAC website, queried Oct 12, 2026):

• The seller sends the sale notice to the RAB, with notarized signature, within 30 days of the sale, with the buyer's name, CNPJ or CPF and address and the aircraft's identification (art. 29). That notice does not relieve the buyer of recording the transfer (art. 29, §1).
• The buyer has 30 days, counted from the date of the transaction, to request transcription of the title in the RAB (art. 30).
• The date of the transaction is the date of the last notarization of a party's signature for authenticity (art. 32).

If there is financing, the path goes through the creditor. A fiduciary lien transfers to the creditor the defeasible title and indirect possession of the aircraft (art. 148) and is only valid and effective once recorded in the RAB (art. 150); a mortgage is constituted by recording the contract in the RAB and by an annotation on the registration certificate (art. 141). To sell an aircraft with a lien, the debt is handled with the creditor and the lien needs to be released on the registry for the transfer to go through clean. Sort this out before promising the buyer a timeline.

When the buyer is foreign, the Brazilian registration is cancelled and the aircraft moves to another registry. The cancellation rules are also in Resolution 293/2013 (art. 91), and it is worth hiring advisors specialized in aviation and customs law. The reverse flow, for someone bringing an aircraft into Brazil, is in how much it costs to import an aircraft.

How to negotiate without losing value

• Answer with comparables, not opinion. Faced with a low offer, show the listings for the same model, the hours and the recent maintenance. It is the argument the buyer uses too.
• Set the floor before listing and do not reveal it. Negotiating without knowing the minimum you would accept is the shortest path to selling below what you would accept.
• Accept the pre-buy, but attach conditions. The pre-purchase inspection is market practice, usually hired by the buyer at a shop they trust. What it finds becomes a request for correction or discount: agree beforehand on how each finding will be handled.
• Trade discount for terms. Delivery timing, spare parts or transition training cost less than cutting the price.
• Take care of payment. An escrow account with release conditioned on the transfer being recorded in the RAB protects both sides. The contract design is for a specialized lawyer.