VAI aviation insurance survey highlights rising costs, mounting barriers The poll will help inform the discussion at our next VAI Webinar, tomorrow at 3:30 pm eastern (UTC-4). A new VAI survey underscores the deepening challenges in the aviation insurance market, with costs climbing and availability becoming more restrictive. Almost 50% of operators who responded to the survey report difficulty obtaining coverage, while nearly 80% say premiums are financially burdensome, and more than 75% believe conditions have worsened compared with five years ago. To help operators respond to these mounting pressures, VAI will explore practical solutions in its upcoming VAI Webinar, “From Risk to Resilience: Navigating the Aviation Insurance Landscape.” The webinar takes place tomorrow, Sep. 24, 2025, at 3:30 pm eastern (UTC-4). It will feature experts from the VAI Aviation Insurance Industry Advisory Council, who will share 10 practical actions to help attendees strengthen their insurance negotiations, manage risk, and improve coverage. Difficulty of Obtaining Coverage Responses to the VAI survey were split about how difficult it is to secure insurance. Roughly 18% describe the process as “very easy,” while another 21% find it “somewhat easy.” A combined 41%, however, report difficulties, with 28% saying coverage requires “extra effort” and nearly 13% citing “major barriers.” The remaining 21% of respondents consider the process neutral. Rising Premiums The largest concern in the survey surfaced around premium costs. Nearly 80% of respondents say coverage is either “expensive” or “extremely expensive.” Among them, 36% deem current premiums “unsustainable.” Only a handful of respondents describe aviation insurance as affordable, while 12% say premiums are about what they expected. Worsening Conditions When asked to compare today’s insurance market with the market of five years ago, more than 75% of respondents say conditions have worsened. About 33% say insurance is “somewhat worse,” and nearly 44% call it “much worse,” describing it as a significant barrier to operations. Webinar Speakers The panel for the Sep. 24 VAI Webinar: • Moderator: Michael Benton, President and CEO, VyClimb Consulting • Mike Becker, Executive Director and Chief Pilot, Becker Helicopters Pilot Academy • Sam Greene, Assistant VP, Assistant Underwriting Branch Manager, Rotor Wing Business Line Analyst (West), USAIG • Kim Hutchings, Founder and CEO, Volo Mission • Bill Kingsley, Senior VP, Account Executive, AssuredPartners Aerospace • Kevin Nelson, Founder, President, Training Pilot, Nelson AeroDynamiX. Register for the Sep. 24 VAI Webinar
