A Cessna Citation jet aircraft is viewed at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in this aerial photo taken on June 1, 2021, near Healdsburg, California.George Rose | Getty ImagesWith consumer confidence tumbling, demand for commercial air travel has waned. Even deep-pocketed travelers are pulling back, according to Barclays’ latest survey of business jet broker-dealers and financiers.Customer interest in buying business jets has fallen by 49% since March, according to the survey, which was conducted from April 9 to 15 and had 65 respondents.The Barclays Business Jet Indicator survey, published last week, uses five metrics, including 12-month outlook and pricing, to assess the state of the market. All but one metric (inventory levels) declined from mid-March to mid-April. As a result, the composite score fell from 52 to 40.The percentage drop recorded in the most recent survey, at 23%, is the largest recorded by Barclays since the Covid pandemic. Barclays analyst David Strauss told CNBC that he expected sentiment to weaken but not to such a large degree.A composite score in the low 40s indicates the market is slowing, according to Barclays.The indicator correlates with airplane manufacturers’ book-to-bill ratio, a key measure of their financial health. A score of 40 indicates that dollar value of manufacturers’ new orders is lagging about 10% behind the orders it is currently fulfilling, Strauss said.Survey respondents told Barclays that clients had put purchases on hold, fearing the impact of tariffs not only on the aircraft market but also their operating businesses.Get Inside Wealth directly to your inboxThe Inside Wealth newsletter by Robert Frank is your weekly guide to high-net-worth investors and the industries that serve them.Subscribe here to get access today. Nearly half (46%) of participants said that customer interest in buying business jets had deteriorated since March. Forty-four percent said customer interest stayed the same and only 10% reported it had improved.When asked specifically about the effect of tariffs on new aircraft demand, 93% of respondents said it would have a negative impact on demand, with a majority expecting the impact would be significant. Only 7% said they believed there would be no impact.As for used jets, 67% of respondents were still pessimistic, expecting a signifi …
