Bizjet market taking off again after downturn

[LAS VEGAS] US corporations including McDonald's and BlackRock are starting to return to the business-jet market after putting off aircraft upgrades since the recession five years ago.

Buyers are opting for larger, longer-range planes even with global shipments poised to fall in 2013, Honeywell International said in its annual industry forecast yesterday. Jet deliveries in North America, anchored by the US, will also increase as a share of the world's total, the study found.

The US comeback marks a turnabout from recent years, when chief executive officers deferred fleet renewals as the worst slump since the Great Depression crimped profits and made corporate aircraft a low priority - and potential public-relations embarrassment. Now, Fortune 500 CEOs are shopping again and hunting for the most luxurious models.