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Business and general aviation airplane shipments appeared to have stabilized through the first three quarters, inching 1.7 percent upward to 1,532, but billings have still slid by 2.8 percent year-over-year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reported today. Meanwhile, rotorcraft shipments are showing signs of a turnaround this year, with shipments up 7.7 percent, to 661, and billings up 8.8 percent, to $2.7 billion.
Total fixed-wing shipments tracked by GAMA through the first nine months were up by 28 units. However, billings for the period were down $300 million, to $13.2 billion. This compares with $13.5 billion and $15.7 billion in the first nine months of 2016 and 2015, respectively.
Despite the dip in billings, business jet shipments through the first nine months climbed by 1.4 percent. Manufacturers handed over 434 business jets in the first three quarters versus 428 in the comparable period in 2016.
Deliveries of both pressurized and non-pressurized turboprops fell 2.1 percent through the first three quarters, to 374—marking the only drop of the three major aircraft categories (turboprops, pistons and business jets). Piston aircraft deliveries led the increases among the aircraft categories, rising 4 percent, to 724 units.
As for rotorcraft shipments, pistons have improved by 13.1 percent, with 190 delivered in the first three quarters, while turbines rose by 5.6 percent, to 471. Rotorcraft billings increased 8.8 percent, to $2.7 billion.
Business and general aviation shipments appeared to have stabilized through the first three quarters of the year, inching 1.7 percent upward to 1,532, but billings have still slid by 2.8 percent, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reported on November 13. At the same time, despite a stumble in third-quarter turbine helicopter shipments, the rotorcraft market is showing signs of a turnaround this year, with shipments up 7.7 to 661 and billings up 8.8 percent to $2.7 billion.
Total fixed-wing shipments tracked by GAMA through the first nine months of 2017 were up by 28 units. However, billings for the period are down $300, million, to $13.2 billion. During the same period last year manufacturers reported billings of $13.5 billion, and they logged $15.7 billion in the first nine monthsof 2015.
While billings dipped, business jet shipments through the first nine months of the year were up by 1.4 percent. Manufacturers shipped 434 business jets through the first three quarters of 2017, compared with 428 in the same period last year.
Cessna’s Citation Latitude has helped provide a boost to the business jet totals, up 12 unit deliveries to 36 through the first nine months of the year. But this is offset, at least from a billings standpoint, by a six-unit dip in Bombardier’s Global deliveries.
Deliveries of Gulfstream’s “mid-cabin” aircraft have improved by four units, to 23, while its large-cabin deliveries have remained flat at 67. Honda Aircraft deliveries have also remained flat, at 30 HondaJets. Embraer deliveries, meanwhile, are down overall by 15 units to 59 through the first three quarters. Dassault reports only mid-year and year-end deliveries.
Turboprops and Rotorcraft
Including both pressurized and non-pressurized aircraft, turboprop deliveries were down 2.1 percent through the first three quarters to 374—marking the only drop of the three major aircraft categories (turboprops, pistons and business jets). Pilatus PC-12 deliveries are down five units, to 53, but shipments of Daher’s TBM series are up four, to 36. Beechcraft’s King Air deliveries are down just a unit to 77 through the first three quarters.
Piston aircraft deliveries led the increases among the aircraft categories, up 4 percent to 724.
As for rotorcraft shipments, piston aircraft have improved by 13.1 percent with 190 delivered in the first three quarters. Turbine helicopters also were up 5.6 percent, to 471, and total billings increased 8.8 percent to 2.7 billion. Airbus, Bell and Leonardo all logged single-digit increases in shipments. Robinson, however, shipped 43 more helicopters in the first three quarters than in the same period last year. Its turbine R66 was up by 10 units, while deliveries of all of its piston models, except the R44 Raven II, were up.
Civil shipments, however, are down for Sikorsky, which has reported a total of three deliveries, all S-76s, through the first three quarters. This compares with eight, including a mix of S-76s and S-92s, handed over through the first three quarters of last year.
The third quarter results alone have largely followed the pattern of the year for fixed-wing aircraft, with piston deliveries up, business jet deliveries flat and turboprop deliveries and billings down. Overall third quarter business and general aviation shipments, however, were down slightly to 431. Billings on the quarter were $4.122 billion, compared with $4.158 billion in the third quarter of 2016.
In the rotorcraft market, turbine deliveries were down by close to 20 percent, to 133. This brought down billings from $944 million in the third quarter of 2016 to $797 million in the most recent quarter.
“The third quarter shipment and billing numbers continue a similar pattern for the industry this year: mixed, with some bright spots that continue trending upward, particularly in the rotorcraft market,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “We’ve been very focused on streamlining certification and validation processes around the world, which will help our member companies continue bringing new and safer products to the market and hopefully spur growth in future quarters.”