Sales Director Marian Jancarik explains where strong value is to be found, the importance of location and the changes he’s seen in the last 10 years.
What makes the Central and Eastern Europe Office unique?
Colibri’s office is located in the centre of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Historically, it has been known by the name Pressburg in German or Pozsony in Hungarian. We have this rich history of languages here because in less than a 10 minute drive, you can end up in either Austria or Hungary. In 2018, Bratislava was ranked as the sixth richest region of the European Union by GDP (PPP) per capita. Our location in central Europe gives us easy access to the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and the Balkans.
There is a tremendous number of private jets here, with some extremely large operators and a large amount of private users. Being based here gives us easy access to assist our clients and the ability to be face to face with them on short notice.
Which aircraft sale or acquisition are you most excited about right now?
We are currently selling a Citation Mustang for a client. Not only is a beautiful machine, but it was once flown by Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon.
In terms of the pre-owned market, which aircraft is presenting strong value right now?
There are some really strong offerings among the Citation XLS and XLS+. Capable of flying close to 1,800 nm and outfitted with an APU makes this jet extremely attractive to our buyers in Central and Eastern Europe, and Europe on the whole. With that range, all of Europe is reachable, and the XLS / XLS+ combines a comfortable cabin, large amounts of baggage space, good operating economics, frequent pilot availability and respectable performance. All of this makes it a very popular jet in this region and offers a lot of value to a buyer.
What is advice you would give an aircraft owner?
An unpopular but true bit of advice is to not to expect any profit from chartering your aircraft on the open market. Only rarely, does chartering make you money; there are other benefits to it, but making a profit is usually not one.
Who are your typical buyers?
My clients are mainly self-made entrepreneurs who made their fortune after the fall of communism in this region. One common thread that unites them all is that they saw an opportunity and had the drive and foresight to pursue it. Those were interesting times and hearing how they succeeded despite many obstacles is one of the parts I enjoy about my job
How do you handle the specific needs of your clients?
I try to be present on site any time the important events of a transaction happen. This means being at the start of the PPI, when the inspection report is ready, when the test/delivery flight occurs and obviously during the hand over itself. Being on hand allows us to be more fully aware and in control of the situation and any issues that arise. Airplane transactions need hundreds of things to go right in order for the sale to complete. When these things are reliant on multiple different parties, being on site and on hand to address any issues that arise (and they frequently do!) is vital in order to keep the transaction on track and our clients happy.
What changes have you witnessed in the industry over the last 10 years?
10 years ago, serious first-time buyers in the CEE region would never look at purchasing a pre-owned aircraft. But now, first time buyers and current owners upgrading their jets are leaning more towards pre-owned over new.
Marian Jancarik is Sales Director at Colibri Aircraft and oversees sales and acquisitions in Central and Eastern
Europe. Marian has been in aviation for the last 24 years and has over 13 years of aircraft brokerage experience. He joined Colibri in 2013.
E: marian@colibriaircraft.com
P: +421 903 425 746
