NAFA member AOPA Finance shares their latest article on what lenders should look for when approving an aircraft loan.
Aircraft lenders evaluate four key areas: your financial profile, the aircraft you’re purchasing, your flying experience, and the overall risk of the transaction.
From a financial standpoint, lenders focus on income, debt obligations, available liquidity, and credit history. They want to see that you can comfortably manage the aircraft payment along with ownership costs such as insurance, maintenance, fuel, and storage.
The aircraft itself also plays a role in approval. Factors such as aircraft type, number of engines, damage history, and logbook completeness can influence loan terms. Experimental, rare, or multi-engine aircraft may require different down payments, rates, or
financing structures.
This article was originally published by AOPA Finance on August 4, 2026.