2026 Corporate Aircraft Manufacturers Product Support

Pro Pilot's 36th annual Corporate Aircraft Manufacturers Product Support Survey, compiled with data from Conklin & de Decker, delivers a granular, operator-driven snapshot of how business aviation OEMs are performing on the metric that matters most once the sale is closed: aftermarket support. Based on 1,123 line evaluations and 1,095 returned survey forms (a 21.7% response rate), the results carry statistical weight that airline and corporate flight departments can use when making fleet decisions or renewing service contracts. In the jet category, Bombardier posted the most dramatic gain in the survey, jumping its overall score from 8.41 to 8.95 and sweeping first place in every subcategory for a second consecutive year, with its steepest improvement coming in cost of parts (7.33 to 8.11). Daher, meanwhile, extended its turboprop dominance to six straight years, again finishing first in every category and posting the survey's most notable single-category jump in speed of AOG service, rising from 8.75 to 9.35.

For working pilots and maintenance-dependent operators, these rankings translate directly into dispatch reliability and downtime risk — arguably the most consequential factors in business aviation operations short of safety itself. An aircraft's on-paper performance means little if a flight department cannot get a part, a tech rep, or an AOG resolution fast enough to keep an airplane earning its keep. The survey's categories — company response time, spares availability, cost of parts, speed in AOG service, tech manuals, tech reps, and service satisfaction — mirror exactly what a director of maintenance or chief pilot weighs when troubleshooting a grounded aircraft at 2am in an unfamiliar city. Notably, several manufacturers highlighted here have invested heavily in globalized rapid-response infrastructure: Bombardier's 4,000-strong worldwide support network and Mobile Response Team, Dassault's Falcon Command Center spanning US and French operations centers, and Gulfstream's FAST teams and 1,350+ master technicians all reflect an industry-wide recognition that AOG resolution time is now a competitive differentiator, not just a service afterthought.

The survey also captures meaningful movement beneath the top lines. Gulfstream's climb from fifth to fourth place, driven by a 0.50-point improvement in AOG speed, suggests tangible investment payoff after a period of lagging scores, while Embraer's and Dassault's modest declines (despite both remaining well-regarded, with Dassault actually improving in service satisfaction) indicate that support quality is not static — operators are quick to notice and report when response times or parts costs drift in the wrong direction. Textron's turboprop score held flat at 7.53, even as its jet division improved, illustrating that within a single manufacturer's portfolio, support quality can vary significantly by product line and dedicated support infrastructure (in Textron's case, its separate 1CALL AOG program for jets versus Team Turboprop for Caravans, Conquests, and King Airs).

Broadly, this survey reinforces a trend playing out across commercial, business, and general aviation alike: as aircraft acquisition costs climb and fleets age, product support and cost-of-ownership predictability are becoming as central to purchase and retention decisions as performance specs or cabin comfort. Programs like Embraer's Executive Care, Textron's ProAdvantage, and Gulfstream's warranty and parts-distribution networks represent an industry pivot toward subscription-style, predictable maintenance economics — a model increasingly expected by fractional operators, charter fleets, and flight departments managing tight budgets. For pilots and operators evaluating new aircraft or renewing support agreements, this annual survey offers a rare, apples-to-apples benchmark grounded in real operator experience rather than manufacturer marketing, making it a valuable data point for fleet planning conversations heading into 2026.