PC-12 Production Headed for a Record-tying Year

Business aircraft sales and deliveries this year are showing early signs of recovery, if the report by one manufacturer points to widespread improvement for the industry. After increasing PC-12 sales by 35 percent last year compared with 2002, Pilatus is headed for a record-tying year. Officials at the Swiss manufacturer and at its U.S. operation in Broomfield, Colo., said it holds sales commitments for this year’s entire planned production run of 70 PC-12s. If Pilatus delivers 70 PC-12s this year, it will tie 2001 as the year in which it shipped the most PC-12s. Last year Pilatus delivered 61 PC-12s versus 45 in 2002. Pilatus and Raytheon Aircraft were the only manufacturers to deliver more turbine business airplanes last year than in 2002.