International Aircraft Broker: Buying and Selling Aircraft Across Borders
An international aircraft broker represents buyers and sellers whose airplane, or whose next airplane, is in another country. For most buyers outside the U.S., that means finding the right airplane in the largest used-aircraft market in the world and getting it home, or keeping it on the U.S. register. For most sellers outside the U.S., it means pricing the airplane against both their local market and the U.S. market and reaching buyers in both.
Aerista is an aircraft brokerage founded in 2009, with headquarters at Portland-Troutdale Airport in Oregon, regional sales offices across the United States and a European sales office in Rheinmünster, Germany. This page explains what an international broker does, when one is worth using and how we work with buyers and sellers abroad.
What an International Aircraft Broker Does
A marketplace lists airplanes. A broker represents one side of the deal and is responsible for getting it done. Across a border, that work grows, because two sets of rules, two currencies and often two languages are involved.
| For a buyer abroad | For a seller abroad | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | What comparable airplanes are asking and selling for in the U.S., and what the airplane will cost landed at home | What the airplane is worth at home and in the U.S., and what each route costs |
| Finding the other side | Searching listed and off-market airplanes that can be imported or kept N-registered | Marketing to qualified buyers in both markets, often while the airplane stays where it is |
| Due diligence | Records review, an independent pre-buy and title search before any money moves | Organized records and photographs so remote buyers can decide with confidence |
| Closing | Purchase agreement, aviation escrow and international wires | Purchase agreement, escrow, lien releases and deregistration |
| After closing | Coordinating export, delivery and import with the specialists in each country | Coordinating the move to the U.S. when the U.S. buyer is there |
A broker does not replace the specialists. Customs brokers file the customs paperwork, ferry pilots and shipping companies move the airplane, maintenance organizations inspect and certify it, and trustees and aviation counsel handle owner trusts. The broker guides the sequence so each of them works in the right order.
For Buyers Outside the U.S.
- Start with what your country will accept. Modifications, airworthiness directives and equipment are checked against your rules before an airplane makes the shortlist. Our guide to buying an aircraft in the U.S. from overseas covers each step.
- Read the records before anyone travels. Complete logbooks answer most questions. PlaneFacts, the independent logbook-analysis service Aerista partners with, links every finding to its original page.
- Use an independent pre-buy. A shop that knows the type, not the seller’s shop, with someone you trust watching.
- Close through aviation escrow. Title, lien releases and international wires handled by a specialist.
- Choose: import it or keep it N-registered. Importing is not the only route. Many owners keep the airplane on the U.S. register through an owner trust with a U.S. trustee, and Aerista can help arrange one. See keeping an aircraft N-registered outside the U.S..
For Sellers Outside the U.S.
Selling at home is often the right choice, and a good broker will tell you when it is. A local market is smaller, though, which limits the number of buyers, so it is worth pricing the U.S. option too. We start with a free market valuation that compares both markets, then help you decide on the route:
- Sell at home when paid VAT or GST, local modifications or strong local demand make the airplane worth more there.
- Market it in both places while it stays where it is. U.S. buyers can review an airplane abroad, and it moves only once a buyer has signed.
- Bring it to the U.S. when the numbers favor it. Airplanes built in the U.S., such as Cirrus, Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft and Mooney, need no export certificate from your authority to come here.
Our guide to selling an aircraft outside the U.S. shows how to compare the two routes with your own numbers.
Aircraft We Work With
Aerista has been a Cirrus pre-owned sales partner since its founding and works across the Cirrus SR series and the Vision Jet. Our turbine division, established in 2014, has specialists in the Vision Jet, Piper PA-46 and Pilatus PC-12 markets, and the team also sells Diamond, Cessna Citation and CubCrafters Carbon Cub aircraft. The steps on this page apply to any certified airplane; what changes from one type to the next is the detail, such as modifications that need approval abroad or, for jets, the extra operating rules in Europe.
Do You Need a Broker?
Not always. An experienced owner buying a common type from a well-documented seller can do it alone, with an escrow company and a good pre-buy shop. A broker earns its place when the airplane is far away, when the records need an expert eye, when the deal crosses registers and tax systems, or when a seller needs to reach buyers beyond a small local market. Aerista transacts more than 300 aircraft a year, so pricing advice draws on what similar airplanes have recently asked and sold for.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an international aircraft broker do?
An international aircraft broker represents a buyer or a seller in a cross-border sale: pricing the airplane in both markets, finding the right airplane or buyer, organizing records review, pre-buy and escrow, and guiding the export, delivery and import steps alongside the specialists who carry them out.
Can a U.S. broker sell my airplane while it is still in Europe?
Yes. Many sellers market the airplane to U.S. buyers while it stays at home, with complete records and photographs online, and move it only once a buyer has signed. U.S. buyers usually price in the cost of the move, so this works best for well-documented airplanes with few import questions.
Does Aerista import or export aircraft?
Aerista guides buyers and sellers through the export, delivery and import steps and works alongside the specialists who carry them out: customs brokers, ferry pilots, shipping companies, maintenance organizations, trustees and aviation counsel.
Do I have to import an airplane I buy in the U.S.?
No. In Europe and many other countries you can keep it on the U.S. register through an owner trust with a U.S. trustee. Pilot licensing, maintenance and tax rules still apply where the airplane is based, and local rules decide whether residents may base an N-registered airplane. Aerista can help arrange the trust.
Which aircraft does Aerista broker?
Aerista works across the Cirrus SR series and Vision Jet, the Piper PA-46, the Pilatus PC-12, Diamond, Cessna Citation and CubCrafters Carbon Cub aircraft, and the steps on this page apply to any certified airplane.
Does Aerista have an office in Europe?
Yes. Aerista’s European sales office is in Rheinmünster, Germany, and Julietta Rühe is the German-speaking contact. Information in German is on our page Flugzeugmakler für den internationalen Kauf und Verkauf.
The Bottom Line
An international aircraft broker is worth using when the airplane, the buyer or the paperwork crosses a border. The U.S. is the largest market to buy from and sell into, and a local market is often the right place to sell, so the job is to price both honestly and guide the route that fits.
Start with our page on buying or selling an aircraft internationally, tell us what you are looking for, or ask for a free market valuation of your airplane.