Aviation & Mobility Industry Outlook 2023

This article is part of Ranking News’ annual industry outlook series, providing market context for the corresponding sector ranking and highlighting the structural forces shaping institutional performance, client selection, and high-net-worth mobility services.

The Aviation & Mobility industry enters 2023 as a core infrastructure layer for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth lifestyles. The sector includes private jet management companies, private terminal operators, superyacht charter brokers, business aviation MRO providers, luxury travel concierge firms, private jet charter brokers, private aircraft sales and acquisition brokers, and private jet charter operators.

The defining theme for 2023 is the institutionalization of luxury mobility. Private aviation, superyacht charter, concierge travel, and aircraft ownership services are no longer viewed only as discretionary luxury consumption. For many UHNW families, founders, executives, family offices, and globally mobile principals, these services support security, flexibility, time efficiency, privacy, cross-border access, and lifestyle continuity.

Business aviation remains resilient. Aviation Week’s 2023 business aviation outlook notes that corporate, fractional, charter, and privately operated business-aircraft flight hours continued to grow in 2025 and are expected to remain steady in 2023; it also notes that manufacturer order backlogs extending 18–24 months have supported pricing and buying decisions. Business Jet Traveler’s 2023 FBO survey cites WingX Advance data showing nearly 3.9 million private jet departures in the prior year, up 4.5% from 2024, creating strong demand for private terminal and ground-handling services.

At the same time, the sector faces supply constraints. Aircraft delivery delays, parts shortages, maintenance capacity pressure, engine shop-visit constraints, and skilled-labor shortages are affecting operators, owners, FBOs, and MRO providers. Oliver Wyman’s 2023–2036 global fleet and MRO forecast highlights record passenger demand, aging aircraft, and ongoing supply-chain challenges across aviation. Aviation MRO commentary for 2023 similarly points to supply chains as one of the main constraints facing the maintenance market.

For Ranking News, the 2023 outlook suggests that Aviation & Mobility firms should not be evaluated only by fleet size, aircraft access, luxury branding, or transaction volume. The strongest providers are likely to be those combining safety, operational reliability, global access, discretion, maintenance capability, asset advisory expertise, client service, sustainability awareness, and the ability to coordinate complex UHNW travel across air, sea, ground, and destination services.

Market Overview

The Aviation & Mobility sector serves wealthy individuals, family offices, executives, entrepreneurs, royal families, celebrities, corporate clients, and globally mobile families seeking high-control travel solutions. It includes services related to private aircraft ownership, charter access, aircraft management, fixed-base operations, maintenance and repair, yacht charter, luxury travel coordination, and aircraft transactions.

Private jet management companies support aircraft owners by handling crew, maintenance, compliance, insurance, scheduling, hangarage, cost control, charter revenue generation, and operational oversight. Private terminal operators, commonly known as FBO providers, deliver ground handling, passenger lounges, fueling, crew support, customs coordination, hangarage, and concierge services at airports. Private jet charter operators provide aircraft and operational capability directly, while charter brokers match clients with suitable aircraft across operator networks.

Private aircraft sales and acquisition brokers advise clients on buying and selling aircraft, including market analysis, valuation, pre-purchase inspection, negotiation, financing coordination, tax structuring, registration, and delivery. Business aviation MRO providers maintain aircraft safety and value through inspections, repairs, upgrades, avionics, interiors, engine work, and regulatory compliance.

Superyacht charter brokers and luxury travel concierge firms extend the sector beyond aviation into integrated mobility and lifestyle planning. They support clients with yacht access, destination planning, villas, security, ground transfers, medical support, family logistics, special events, and complex multi-jurisdiction travel.

The common thread is not transportation alone. The sector sells control over time, privacy, security, comfort, and access. In 2023, the leading providers are those that can transform fragmented luxury travel services into coordinated mobility infrastructure.

Industry Trend — 2023

1. Private Aviation Demand Remains Resilient, but More Selective

Private aviation activity remains strong after the post-pandemic normalization period. Flight-hour growth has moderated from the extraordinary surge of earlier years, but the market remains structurally larger than before the pandemic. Aviation Week reports that business aircraft flight hours continued to grow in 2025 and are expected to be steady in 2023, supported by strong order backlogs and aircraft demand.

The demand profile, however, is becoming more selective. Clients are distinguishing more carefully between ownership, fractional access, jet cards, ad hoc charter, and managed aircraft solutions. Some clients value full ownership because it provides control, consistency, and privacy. Others prefer charter or fractional models to avoid capital commitment, residual-value risk, crew management, maintenance exposure, and underutilization.

This creates opportunities for both aircraft management firms and charter brokers, but it also raises the standard for advice. Clients increasingly need guidance on when ownership is economically rational, when charter is more appropriate, and how to structure access across different aircraft types and regions.

For Ranking News, Private Jet Management Companies, Private Jet Charter Brokers, and Private Jet Charter Operators should be evaluated on safety, transparency, aircraft access, dispatch reliability, client fit, operational control, and ability to advise honestly across ownership and access models.

2. Aircraft Supply Constraints Strengthen the Role of Asset Advisers

Aircraft supply remains constrained by OEM backlogs, delayed deliveries, parts shortages, and strong demand for high-quality pre-owned aircraft. Aviation Week notes that manufacturer order backlogs extending 18–24 months have supported pricing and influenced buyer decisions. These conditions make aircraft acquisition more complex.

Private aircraft buyers must evaluate availability, residual value, aircraft age, utilization history, maintenance status, engine programs, avionics compliance, cabin refurbishment needs, delivery timelines, financing, tax, and registration options. In a constrained market, a poorly advised purchase can create substantial long-term cost.

Aircraft sales and acquisition brokers therefore become more important in 2023. Their value lies not merely in finding aircraft, but in protecting clients from overpaying, hidden maintenance liabilities, unsuitable cabin configurations, weak resale prospects, or inefficient ownership structures.

For Ranking News, Private Aircraft Sales & Acquisition Brokers should be evaluated on market access, transaction integrity, technical due diligence, valuation judgment, confidentiality, negotiation skill, and ability to coordinate legal, tax, financing, and pre-purchase inspection processes.

3. FBOs Become Premium Mobility Gateways

Private terminal operators and FBO providers are becoming more important as private aviation activity expands. Business Jet Traveler’s 2023 FBO survey notes that nearly 3.9 million private jet departures took place in the prior year, up 4.5% from 2024, which supported demand for FBO services.

FBOs are no longer just fueling and ground-handling facilities. At the premium end, they function as private aviation gateways: secure arrival and departure points, hospitality environments, crew support centers, customs coordination points, and brand-defining touchpoints for UHNW clients.

The competitive standard is rising. Clients expect speed, discretion, safety, privacy, efficient customs handling, high-quality lounges, crew professionalism, ground transport coordination, pet handling where relevant, and seamless connection with concierge or aircraft management teams.

For Ranking News, Private Terminal Operators should be evaluated on service reliability, airport network strength, safety, fuel and ground-handling capability, passenger experience, crew support, customs coordination, privacy, facility quality, and operational consistency across locations.

4. MRO Capacity Becomes a Strategic Constraint

Maintenance, repair, and overhaul is becoming one of the most important infrastructure constraints in private aviation. Operators and aircraft owners depend on MRO providers for aircraft availability, safety, regulatory compliance, residual value protection, and operating reliability.

The 2023 aviation MRO environment is affected by aging fleets, labor shortages, parts availability, engine shop-visit delays, and supply-chain disruption. Oliver Wyman’s global fleet and MRO forecast describes aviation as balancing strong demand with an aging fleet and ongoing supply-chain challenges. Aviation industry MRO commentary for 2023 also emphasizes supply-chain issues as a major source of operational difficulty.

For private aviation clients, MRO quality directly affects aircraft availability. A client may own or charter a premium aircraft, but if maintenance slots are unavailable, parts are delayed, or inspections are poorly managed, the practical value of access declines.

For Ranking News, Business Aviation MRO Providers should be evaluated on technical expertise, regulatory approvals, turnaround time, parts access, engine and avionics capability, mobile repair capability, documentation quality, customer communication, and ability to support high-utilization private aircraft.

5. Luxury Travel Concierge Moves from Itinerary Design to Mobility Orchestration

Luxury travel concierge firms are increasingly becoming coordinators of complex UHNW mobility. Their role extends beyond hotel bookings, restaurant reservations, and experiences. They may coordinate private aviation, yacht charters, villa stays, security, medical support, ground transport, family logistics, pets, tutors, event access, destination specialists, and emergency contingencies.

Virtuoso’s 2023 Luxe Report describes luxury travel demand as being shaped by influential advisers and evolving client preferences, including more intentional, experience-driven travel. This aligns with the broader HNW trend: clients want highly customized, meaningful, and frictionless experiences rather than standardized luxury packages.

For Ranking News, Luxury Travel Concierge Firms should be evaluated on discretion, destination expertise, supplier network quality, crisis management, family-office compatibility, aviation and yacht coordination, security awareness, medical contingency planning, and ability to deliver complex itineraries without operational friction.

6. Superyacht Charter Becomes More Experiential and Family-Oriented

Superyacht charter remains closely connected to UHNW mobility. The sector is shaped by privacy, destination access, family travel, experiential luxury, and the desire for controlled environments. Yacht.com’s 2023 yacht charter trends identify off-the-radar destinations, family-driven trips, flexible off-season escapes, quiet luxury, technology-enhanced experiences, eco-conscious travel, and lifestyle-driven charters as key themes.

This has implications for yacht charter brokers. Their value lies not only in matching clients with yachts, but in understanding crew quality, charter suitability, itinerary design, safety, onboard lifestyle, family needs, destination logistics, legal terms, and owner expectations.

The most credible brokers will know which vessels actually fit the client’s use case. A family with young children, a corporate retreat, a discreet couple’s itinerary, an adventure-focused charter, and a multi-generational Mediterranean trip all require different vessels, crew cultures, and planning assumptions.

For Ranking News, Superyacht Charter Brokers should be evaluated on vessel access, itinerary expertise, crew and owner knowledge, client discretion, contractual competence, destination planning, family suitability, safety, and ability to coordinate with aviation and concierge providers.

7. Sustainability and SAF Become Reputation Issues, but Adoption Remains Uneven

Sustainability is becoming more relevant in private aviation and luxury mobility, but practical adoption remains uneven. Business aviation firms increasingly discuss sustainable aviation fuel, carbon reporting, fleet modernization, efficient routing, and emissions offsetting. However, cost, availability, infrastructure, and client willingness to pay remain constraints.

Menkor Aviation’s 2023 business aviation commentary identifies SAF adoption, fleet upgrades, AI-driven maintenance, and charter-market growth as key themes. Broader aviation supply-chain analysis for 2023 also highlights SAF economics as part of the industry’s operational landscape.

For HNW clients, sustainability is often reputational rather than purely economic. Some clients want credible carbon reporting, access to SAF where available, more efficient aircraft selection, or lower-impact itinerary planning. Others prioritize convenience and privacy above sustainability. Providers must therefore offer realistic sustainability options without overstating environmental claims.

For Ranking News, sustainability should be treated as a governance and transparency factor rather than a simplistic ranking determinant. Firms should be assessed on credible reporting, SAF access where practical, fleet-efficiency awareness, and avoidance of misleading claims.

8. Advanced Air Mobility Remains Promising but Not Yet Core UHNW Infrastructure

Advanced air mobility, including eVTOL aircraft and urban air taxi services, continues to attract attention in 2023. Recent coverage of Archer Aviation notes progress toward commercialization and planned commercial flights, though the company remains in a high-investment phase and some launch plans face uncertainty.

For HNW Ranking, this category should be watched but not over-weighted yet. eVTOL services may eventually reshape airport transfers, urban mobility, island access, and short-range premium transport. However, regulatory certification, infrastructure, safety perception, route economics, noise, weather, battery performance, and integration with airports and FBOs remain important constraints.

In 2023, advanced air mobility is more relevant as a future adjacency than as a mature category within private aviation and luxury mobility rankings. Established operators, FBOs, and concierge firms may monitor partnerships, but client selection should still prioritize proven aviation safety and reliability.

Competitive Landscape

The Aviation & Mobility industry is fragmented but increasingly interconnected.

Private jet management companies compete on safety, owner service, crew quality, maintenance oversight, cost control, charter revenue management, and operational transparency. Their role is especially important for aircraft owners who want professional management without building internal aviation departments.

Private terminal operators compete on network, ground handling, fueling, lounge quality, service consistency, customs support, security, and passenger experience. Their facilities often shape the client’s first and last impression of a private aviation journey.

Private jet charter operators compete on fleet quality, safety certificates, aircraft availability, crew standards, reliability, and direct operational control. Charter brokers compete on market access, aircraft sourcing, pricing transparency, client advocacy, and ability to match aircraft to trip requirements.

Aircraft sales and acquisition brokers compete on market intelligence, transaction access, technical diligence, discretion, valuation judgment, and after-sale support. Business aviation MRO providers compete on technical capability, approvals, turnaround, parts access, and trust.

Superyacht charter brokers and luxury travel concierge firms compete on access, personalization, supplier relationships, confidentiality, destination knowledge, and crisis resolution.

The strongest firms increasingly operate as part of broader UHNW service ecosystems. A private jet charter may connect to an FBO, yacht charter, villa stay, medical concierge, security team, and family office. The winners are those that can coordinate across the full mobility chain.

Client Demand and Selection Criteria

HNW and UHNW clients in 2023 are likely to evaluate Aviation & Mobility providers using practical and trust-based criteria.

Core selection criteria include:

• safety record and operational standards;
• aircraft or vessel access;
• reliability and responsiveness;
• discretion and privacy;
• global network coverage;
• transparent pricing;
• maintenance and technical competence;
• crew quality;
• emergency handling;
• family and pet readiness where relevant;
• cross-border coordination;
• security awareness;
• luxury service consistency;
• sustainability transparency;
• ability to coordinate air, sea, ground, and destination services.

For aircraft owners, management quality, cost control, aircraft availability, regulatory compliance, and maintenance oversight are central. For charter clients, safety, aircraft suitability, pricing transparency, and reliability matter most. For family offices, reporting, discretion, governance, and vendor coordination are important. For yacht charter clients, crew quality, itinerary design, vessel fit, and confidentiality are decisive. For concierge clients, seamless execution matters more than visible luxury.

This diversity supports HNW Ranking’s category structure. Aircraft management, FBO operations, MRO, charter brokerage, charter operation, aircraft acquisition, yacht charter, and luxury concierge should be evaluated through related but distinct standards.

Methodological Implications for Ranking

The 2023 outlook suggests that Ranking News should evaluate Aviation & Mobility firms across safety, operational, technical, service, and UHNW-client dimensions.

Relevant ranking factors include:

• safety and compliance standards;
• operational reliability;
• aircraft or yacht access;
• technical capability;
• network coverage;
• client discretion;
• pricing transparency;
• asset advisory quality;
• maintenance oversight;
• service consistency;
• emergency response;
• family office compatibility;
• cross-border execution;
• sustainability transparency;
• reputation among UHNW clients and advisers;
• ability to coordinate complex mobility needs.

For the category structure, the methodology may be differentiated as follows:

Private Jet Management Companies should be evaluated on owner service, safety oversight, crew management, maintenance coordination, cost transparency, regulatory compliance, aircraft availability, and charter revenue management where relevant.

Private Terminal Operators / FBO Providers should be evaluated on ground-handling quality, lounge experience, fueling capability, crew services, airport network, customs coordination, privacy, and consistency across locations.

Superyacht Charter Brokers should be evaluated on yacht access, vessel knowledge, crew understanding, itinerary planning, contractual competence, discretion, destination expertise, and family suitability.

Business Aviation MRO Providers should be evaluated on technical approvals, maintenance capability, turnaround time, parts access, documentation quality, avionics and engine expertise, and reliability under supply-chain pressure.

Luxury Travel Concierge Firms should be evaluated on destination expertise, supplier network, confidentiality, crisis management, UHNW service quality, security coordination, medical contingency planning, and ability to orchestrate complex travel.

Private Jet Charter Brokers should be evaluated on aircraft sourcing, operator vetting, pricing transparency, trip suitability, responsiveness, client advocacy, and safety diligence.

Private Aircraft Sales & Acquisition Brokers should be evaluated on market access, valuation judgment, transaction execution, technical due diligence, negotiation skill, discretion, and coordination with legal, tax, financing, and inspection advisers.

Private Jet Charter Operators should be evaluated on fleet quality, safety record, crew standards, dispatch reliability, regulatory approvals, operational control, and customer service.

For Ranking News, the key question is not simply which firms offer the most luxurious experience. The more important question is which organizations provide safe, discreet, reliable, and institutionally credible mobility infrastructure for HNW and UHNW clients.

Outlook for the Year Ahead

Aviation & Mobility is likely to remain a strong HNW service sector throughout 2023. Private aviation demand is steady, FBO activity remains supported by high flight volumes, aircraft acquisition remains constrained by supply, and luxury travel continues to shift toward bespoke, experiential, and highly coordinated journeys.

However, the sector is also becoming more operationally demanding. Aircraft shortages, maintenance constraints, parts delays, labor pressure, regulatory complexity, and client expectations all raise the standard for providers. Firms that rely only on luxury branding without operational depth may struggle to maintain trust.

The strongest firms will be those that combine technical reliability with service intelligence. In private aviation, this means safety, dispatch reliability, maintenance quality, and transparent advice. In luxury travel, it means personalization, discretion, contingency planning, and supplier control. In yacht charter, it means matching vessel, crew, destination, and client purpose. In aircraft acquisition, it means protecting clients from poor asset decisions in a constrained market.

Sustainability will remain a growing reputational issue, but clients and providers will need realistic rather than symbolic solutions. SAF, fleet efficiency, carbon reporting, and routing discipline may become more important, especially for publicly visible families, executives, and institutions.

In 2023, Aviation & Mobility is best understood as UHNW infrastructure. It supports not only luxury travel, but time control, security, privacy, family logistics, and global access.

Concluding Remarks

The 2023 Aviation & Mobility outlook reflects a sector moving from discretionary luxury toward integrated private mobility infrastructure. Private aviation, FBO services, aircraft management, MRO, yacht charter, concierge travel, and aircraft transactions increasingly operate as connected components of HNW and UHNW life.

For Ranking News, this sector should be treated as one of the most important categories within HNW Ranking. Aviation and mobility providers shape how wealthy individuals, families, executives, and family offices move across jurisdictions, protect privacy, manage time, and access global opportunities.

Ranking News’ annual ranking of Aviation & Mobility firms should therefore be read not only as a list of leading luxury providers, but as a reflection of the broader structural changes shaping private aviation, UHNW travel, aircraft ownership, luxury mobility infrastructure, and global high-net-worth lifestyle management in 2023.