A boom in e-commerce sales over the past few years has reshaped global trade flows, significantly changing how customers buy and how companies sell. So far, this transition has largely bypassed the business aviation segment, but a new generation of digital technologies promises benefits that the industry may finally appreciate.
Online marketplaces have a long history in the aviation industry, but recent years have seen a significant evolution in this segment, says Bogdan Hent, CEO of Radical Aviation and owner of the Aeromarket24 online platform.
“The core mission of an aviation marketplace is to provide a dedicated place in order to connect buyers and sellers all over the world. Over the decades, the aim of a marketplace remained the same, but the way it works has changed enormously. It’s just that now the connection between parties is much easier compared to how it was 20 years ago,” Hent says.
Industry analysts believe that the aviation market is on the brink of a digital revolution in the coming years, with online marketplaces set to play a pivotal role. The global digital aviation market size is projected to grow from US$37.92 billion in 2022 to US$65.11 billion by 2029, according to Fortune Market Insights, a market research firm. North America dominates the digital aviation market, accounting for nearly 25% of the global market share.
The role of online marketplaces in the aviation industry has evolved from basic directory platforms into intelligent, data-driven ecosystems.
“Modern platforms now provide predictive analytics, real-time pricing, and seamless integration with operator fleet management systems. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this shift, driving increased reliance on digital platforms for everything from cargo and ambulance capacity to flexible jet sharing,” says Daria Borisova, business developer at the Aviapages marketplace.
The recent years have witnessed the emergence of the first marketplaces focused exclusively on companies in the business aviation industry.
For example, Jet Aviation rolled out a staffing marketplace for business aviation operators in October 2023 to match prospective employees and hiring teams with open roles in the industry.
“The intention was to allow candidates to easily search and apply for a wide variety of open aviation-related positions, and for companies to list and fill their open positions with qualified candidates, in one single platform,” says Elaine Lapotosky, vice president, staffing, Americas at Jet Aviation.
In October 2024, Banyan Air Service, a Florida-based FBO, launched FBO Essentials, an online marketplace designed to help other service providers streamline the purchase of essential materials.
“We designed FBO Essentials to be a one-stop solution for FBOs of all sizes,” Jon Tonko, Banyan’s chief operating officer said at that time. “Our goal is to help streamline daily operations, allowing FBOs to focus on what they do best: providing exceptional service to their customers.”
In theory, digital marketplaces can help business aviation companies streamline procurement, manage services, and use valuable industry data, transforming traditional supply chains into more efficient digital environments.
However, at this stage often the greatest help an online platform can offer businesses is banner promotion.
“This way, their brand, product, or service gets in front of the people who need them, which leads to an increase in the number of customers. In a world where competition is very high, it is not difficult to find suppliers. What is really difficult is to find customers, and this is exactly what banner advertising helps with,” Hent says.
A conservative stance
However, the business aviation industry remains reluctant to work with marketplaces.
“We tend to use and prefer direct contacts, MRO and OEM, rather than resorting to marketplaces,” says Jorge Pestana, Luxaviation Group CAMO coordinator.
“We will use parts marketplaces, such as PartsBase, JSSI PartsHub, and Locatory, only in case the primary contacts fail to provide an adequate solution, especially when parts become obsolete or there is a parts shortage,” Pestana says.
The key reason why procurement through online marketplaces is not particularly popular is that the business aviation sector is small compared to commercial aviation, Pestana notes.
According to market players, business aviation users prioritize direct, established relationships for critical services such as maintenance, logistics, and on-demand travel because they need highly reliable, customized support to maintain a competitive advantage.
“We don’t use platforms and instead go directly to the vendors. The platforms are inefficient for us,” says Scott Cutshall, president, real estate and sustainability with Clay Lacy Aviation.
While marketplaces can offer efficiency, a direct vendor relationship enables immediate, flexible adjustments required for mission-critical travel.
“Relying primarily on MROs and OEMs is more convenient. We can make use of known and trusted relationships with direct impact on price and maintenance slot negotiation, support and work quality, and trusted part sources,” Pestana says.
Procurement done through marketplaces, Pestana adds, will generally require more resources — dedicated and tighter quality control from the purchaser, for the supplier, and for the part — and an ad hoc supply chain with case-bycase sources, timings, and channels.
In business aviation, FBOs have traditionally relied on direct relationships with vendors, which is understandable given the nature of high-trust, time-critical operations. In general, it is believed that direct relationships enable higher levels of customization and dedicated support, which can be crucial for complex operations.
Analysts believe there are segments where marketplaces can be a viable alternative to direct contracts, though a complete switch to online platforms is unlikely in the foreseeable future.
“If I owned an FBO, I would definitely use an online source as a timesaving, convenient way to purchase my common, everyday supplies, assuming that pricing, service, and shipping were comparable with direct vendor purchases,” says Rocco Cipriano, president of Aviation Marketing Consulting.
“However, for more specific items unique to my FBO, I would purchase directly from the vendor,” Cipriano adds.
Next generation solutions
In the meantime, new technologies, such as AI can help usher the business aviation industry into a new era where online marketplaces will play a much more critical role.
“We are currently developing the next generation of aeromarket24.com, which will introduce significant upgrades,” Hent says. “Enhanced user experience with a better design, optimized mobile interface, featured ads, and easier listings management to help users create much more professional ads.”
New analysis tools help platforms to better catch market trends and meet customers’ needs, including in the business aviation industry.
“Through our metrics based on all the activity across the platform, we have our statistics, and we constantly learn from what people want, what sells, what doesn’t sell, what’s trendy, and what’s the approach to a transaction. In other words, in which direction the world is heading and how user behavior evolves,” Hent adds.
Since launching, Jet Aviation Staffing Marketplace has implemented some 45 enhancements, including face and touch ID for mobile iOS app users, and enhanced interactions across candidate registration, job process flow, document sections, and notifications — expanding capabilities to streamline the user experience for candidates and operators.
“With these enhancements, we are continually growing capabilities to simplify the candidate search and hiring process for users,” Lapotosky emphasizes.
In general, Lapotovsky assumes that with novel technologies streamlining processes, the industry will gradually acknowledge the benefits the new digital technologies offer.
“Technology is increasingly advancing across all aspects of our lives, and having a system that enables streamlined usability and efficiency is becoming ever more important,” says Lapotosky.
For Aviapages, evolution is about building a smarter ecosystem.
“We have integrated the essential tools that brokers, suppliers, and operators use daily, infused the platform with actionable data, and created secure, automated connections that turn our marketplace from a static resource into a dynamic, value-creating partner for the entire industry,” Borisova says. As a result, Borisova adds, Aviapages is functioning now as a central operational hub for business aviation, moving beyond a simple directory to become a dynamic ecosystem.
An emerging competitor
However, struggling to expand their popularity in the business aviation industry, digital marketplaces are currently facing stiff competition from social media channels.
“Social media has become a popular alternative for selling aviation-related items because it feels quick and convenient,” says Hent.
Relying on social media comes with certain risks and disadvantages. These channels are fragmented, divided into countless groups by geography or niche.
“Some might think that old school dedicated platforms are outdated, but this is not true. What looks like easy exposure on social networks, often turns into limited reach and losing the ad shortly among the multitude of other ads without possibility for advanced search or filtering options in case of sellers and on the other hand, buyers face a higher risk of scams due to lack of proper verification,” Hent notes.
The appeal of social media and messaging groups lies in several areas.
“First is the perceived speed and directness. Posting a request in a WhatsApp group can yield immediate, informal responses, which creates an illusion of being faster than structured platforms,” Borisova notes.
In addition, using this channel creates a sense of insider access, these closed groups foster a sense of community and bypass formal systems, making users feel they’re getting direct, privileged access. Finally, there is a lower barrier to entry.
“While these factors explain the shift, they also highlight why these channels can’t replace the security, efficiency, and reliability of a professional marketplace,” Borisova says.
Besides, relying on social media always comes with the risk of encountering fraud.
“More than that, unfortunately, many social media listings are scams and people cannot distinguish a real ad from a scam,” Hent says.
Expanding presence
In general, market players believe online marketplaces can certainly expand their presence in the business aviation industry in the coming years, though direct contracts will still dominate the scene.
“Online marketplaces may be used in parallel or included in the flow, but can never replace existing direct relations,” Pestana says.
Digital platforms are transforming the supply chain along the entire aviation industry, increasing transparency and reducing manual processes, and are projected to grow significantly in the broader digital aviation market in the coming years.
The potential benefits for FBOs from partially switching to online marketplaces are clear: improved price visibility, reduced administrative workload, and easier access to a broader supplier base.
“As technology matures and the procurement environment becomes more transparent, I believe marketplaces can start playing a more significant role, especially in standardizing and streamlining the purchasing process for non-core goods and services,” says Michał Wichrowski, CEO of W Aviation Group, a Warsaw, Polandbased aviation consultancy.
Among other things, the increased use of digital marketplaces helps both parties obtain a more accurate sense of fair market value.
“In the long term, marketplaces might not replace personal relationships, but they can certainly complement them. They will also help FBOs operate more efficiently while maintaining service quality and reliability,” Wichrowski says.
