SBA loans for aircraft maintenance and aviation service shops
Short answer
SBA approved 75 loans to aircraft maintenance and aviation service shops since October 2023, with a median of $250,000. 25% went to startups, against 16% of all SBA 7(a) loans. Source: SBA 7(a) loan file, June 30, 2026.
- SBA loans since October 2023
- 75
- Median loan
- $250,000
- Median rate at approval
- 9.75%
- Through SBA Express
- 40%
These figures come from SBA's public loan file for the 7(a) program, which includes SBA Express. They cover NAICS 488190, Other Support Activities for Air Transportation. The loans were approved from October 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026. The file lists approvals only, so it shows what lenders funded, not who applied or who was turned down.
What lenders check
Each lender sets its own checklist. SBA sets the basic eligibility tests.
A lender reviewing a loan to aircraft maintenance and aviation service shops looks at the business's numbers and these items for the trade:
- FAA repair station certificate or the mechanics' airframe and powerplant ratings, plus the aircraft types and avionics work the shop is rated to do
- Hangar space and ground lease terms on airport land, since a shop can lose its location if the lease is not renewed
- Customer base among flight schools, charter operators, helicopter owners and private owners, and the aircraft waiting in the hangar on back-ordered parts
What SBA sets and what the lender sets
Under SOP 50 10 8.1, SBA sets no minimum credit score; the lender applies its own credit standards. To qualify, a business must be an operating, for-profit business located in the United States that is small under SBA size standards and can show a need for the credit. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2; SBA Procedural Notice 5000-876777; 13 CFR § 120.100.
Common uses of the money
Businesses like these use SBA loans for:
- Hangar construction or expansion, or a lease buildout on the airfield, with doors, lifts and compressed air
- Avionics test equipment, engine analyzers and specialty tooling that must be calibrated and certified
- Parts inventory and ground support equipment such as tugs and power units
The cash cycle
Labor and parts are billed when the aircraft is released, so a plane waiting on a back-ordered part ties up technician time and cash. Owners generally pay before the aircraft leaves, since a shop can usually hold it until the bill is paid.
Collateral
Lenders rely on tooling, test equipment and parts stock, since a hangar on leased airport land adds little real estate value.
SBA collateral and guarantee rules
On an SBA Express loan of $50,000 or less, collateral is not required. Above that, the lender may use its own collateral policies for similar non-SBA loans. Under SOP 50 10 8.1, a loan request must not be declined solely because collateral is inadequate.
Every owner of 20% or more of the business must give an unlimited personal guaranteeYour promise to repay the loan yourself if the business cannot. . Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 19, Para. B.3; App. 19, Para. A (p. 404); Sec. A, Ch. 5, Para. A.1 (p. 93); 13 CFR § 120.160(a).
How much they borrow
73% of these loans were $500,000 or less, the range where SBA Express is available.
Bars show each band's share of the loans. Fewer than 5 marks a band whose count we do not publish.
The median loan was $250,000, larger than the $150,300 median for all SBA 7(a) loans. Half of the loans fell between $100,000 and $554,800. The most common size band was $150,001 to $350,000.
By business age, 60% had operated for more than 2 years and 11% for 2 years or less. 25% were startups opening with the loan.
What they paid
The median loan priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points, the same as the median for all SBA 7(a) loans.
The median rate at approval was 9.75% on loans approved October 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026. Rates in SBA's file are the initial rates when the loans were approved. On a variable-rate loan the rate then moves with Prime, so these are not today's rates.
SBA's maximum rate today
SBA caps a variable rate by loan size. For a loan of $50,001 to $250,000, the cap is Prime plus 6.0 percentage points. The typical loan here, $250,000, is in that range. With Prime at 7.00% as of Nov 10, 2026, the maximum is 13.00% today. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395); 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2).
How the money comes
40% of the loans went through SBA Express and 36% were lines of credit. The median term was 10 years.
Across all industries, 36% of loans went through SBA Express and 28% were lines of credit. Express counts here include Export Express.
SBA Express in brief
An SBA Express loan can be as large as $500,000, and SBA guarantees 50% of it. On an Express loan, the lender makes the credit decision without prior SBA review. SBA's procedures also say only a lender with SBA Express authority can make one. An SBA Express line of credit can run 10 years, including any term-out period. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126); App. 16, Para. B.2; Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2; Sec. B, Ch. 2 (p. 125); App. 17, Para. B.3.
The median term was 10 years (120 months). For working capital, SBA's maximum term is 10 years. For equipment, it is 10 years, or up to 15 years if the IRS asset class useful life supports it. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 17, Para. A.1 (p. 390); App. 17, Para. A.2 (p. 390).
Who lends
The Huntington National Bank made the most loans, 11 of 75 (15%).
| Lender | Type | Loans | Share of loans |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | Bank | 11 | 14.7% |
| Newtek Bank | Bank | 9 | 12.0% |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank | Bank | 6 | 8.0% |
| Bank of America | Bank | 5 | 6.7% |
Lenders are ranked by loans and listed only when they made 5 or more. Janover Capital LLC does not represent these lenders, and a lender's past loans do not describe its current credit policy.
See every lender on the SBA Express lenders page.
Where the loans are
Florida had the most loans, 14 of 75 (19%).
| State | Loans | Share of loans |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 14 | 18.7% |
| Texas | 11 | 14.7% |
| New Jersey | 5 | 6.7% |
Location is the state of the business, not of the lender.
Compare every state on SBA loans by state.
How often these loans went bad
0% of 53 seasoned loans were charged off, below the 3.6% rate for all SBA 7(a) loans.
None of the 53 loans approved October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2022 were charged offThe lender wrote the loan off as a loss because it was not being repaid. by June 30, 2026. By dollars, 0% of the approved amount was charged off.
How we measure this
A seasoned loan is one approved October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2022. Newer loans have not had time to go bad, so they are left out. Charged off means the lender wrote the loan off as a loss, shown as status CHGOFF in SBA's file on June 30, 2026. The rate is charged-off loans divided by seasoned loans. This describes what happened to approved loans. It says nothing about whether an application will be approved.
SBA size standard
NAICS 488190 has its own size standard.
For NAICS 488190, SBA's size standard is $40 million in average annual receipts. A business at or under the standard is small for SBA's purposes. To qualify, a business must fit the size standard for the applicant's primary industry in 13 CFR 121.201, measured in annual receipts or employees. SBA measures size on the date the application is accepted for SBA processing, or for delegated loans the date the lender approves the loan.
A business over the standard can still qualify under the alternative standard: tangible net worth of $20 million or less and average net income after federal income taxes of $6.5 million or less over the prior two fiscal years. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 14); Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.2 (p. 14); 13 CFR § 121.301(b)(2).
Check the code before you rely on it
SBA proposed new size standards for 338 industry groups and industries on August 20, 2026; the change is proposed only. Source: 91 FR 53741 (Aug. 20, 2026).
A payment example
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Loan amount | $250,000, the median |
| Term | 10 years (120 months), the median |
| Rate | 9.75%, the median at approval |
| Monthly payment | $3,269 |
| Total interest over the term | $142,311 |
The example uses the median loan and the median term. The rate is the median at approval for these businesses. It covers principal and interest only, and it assumes the loan runs the full term. It leaves out fees, including the SBA guaranty feeA fee SBA charges on the guaranteed part of a loan. The lender pays it and may pass it to you. Full definition.
On a variable-rate loan, a 1 percentage point move in Prime changes this payment by about $139 a month. Prime is 7.00% as of Nov 10, 2026. For a payment at today's rate, use the SBA Express payment calculator.
How to read this
Counts come from SBA's 7(a) loan-level data release, as of June 30, 2026. The file lists loans SBA approved. It does not list declined applications, so it cannot show approval odds. We do not publish any figure built on fewer than 5 loans. Industry is the NAICS code recorded on each loan. This page covers NAICS 488190, Other Support Activities for Air Transportation. Express share counts SBA Express and Export Express loans. Lines of credit are loans the file marks as revolving. The median rate is the initial rate on loans with a rate on file. The spread is that rate minus Prime on the approval date, for variable-rate loans only. How we build these pages.
Sources
- SBA 7(a) loan file, June 30, 2026
- SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 19, Para. A (p. 404); Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2 (Para. C begins p. 127); App. 19, Para. B.3 (Para. B begins p. 408); App. 16, Para. B.2 (Para. B begins p. 388); Sec. B, Ch. 2 (p. 125); App. 17, Para. B.3 (Para. B begins p. 391); Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126); Sec. A, Ch. 5, Para. A.1 (p. 93); Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 14); Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.2 (p. 14); App. 17, Para. A.2 (p. 390); App. 17, Para. A.1 (p. 390); SBA Procedural Notice 5000-876777; 13 CFR § 120.160(a); 13 CFR § 121.301
- 13 CFR § 120.100
- SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395); 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2)
- SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 14); 13 CFR § 121.301(b)(2)
- 91 FR 53741 (Aug. 20, 2026)
- 13 CFR § 121.201
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Cite this page: SBA loans for aircraft maintenance and aviation service shops. SBA Express Loans, Janover Capital LLC (data as of June 30, 2026). https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/other-support-activities-for-air-transportation/
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