Demonstrating the continually receding effects of the recent supply-chain disruptions, general aviation aircraft deliveries were up across all sectors year-over-year (YOY), according to the third-quarter delivery statistics released yesterday by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
For the first nine months, business jet deliveries increased by 2 percent YOY, with 455 aircraft handed over. Turboprop deliveries rose by nearly 15 percent in the first three quarters, while piston deliveries saw a 12 percent gain. Total airplane billings climbed by 2.5 percent in the first nine months, reaching $14.5 billion.
Meanwhile, turbine helicopter deliveries climbed by 6.3 percent YOY, with 469 rotorcraft shipped over in the first nine months.
In his quarterly address, GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce noted that the general aviation segment serves as the aerospace technology incubator that drives safety and sustainability and that it is highly focused on these initiatives to further its growth.
“To achieve this, it is imperative that there is stability within our industry’s regulatory bodies, and having a new, permanent leader at the top of the FAA is a great start,” Bunce stated. “It is also essential that Congress act now to pass an FAA reauthorization bill that provides the new administrator and agency with the necessary direction and tools to strengthen and enhance the aviation system.”
Demonstrating the continually receding effects of the recent supply chain disruptions, general aviation aircraft deliveries were up across all sectors year-over-year, according to the third-quarter delivery statistics released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
For the first nine months of the year, business jet deliveries increased by 2 percent over the same period in 2022, with 455 aircraft handed over.
Embraer saw the largest improvement, with its deliveries rising by nearly 27 percent compared with the first three quarters of 2022. The Brazilian manufacturer saw increases in all of its executive jet offerings; its popular Phenom 300/300E light jet rose by 11 units compared to last year’s third-quarter results.
Despite the deletion of the Learjet family from its product slate last year, Bombardier still improved upon its nine-month 2022 delivery totals by nearly 11 percent this year, handing over nine more Challengers and two more Globals than it did a year ago.
Gulfstream saw its delivery numbers dip by 12 percent from a year ago, handing over nine fewer of its large-cabin aircraft than it did through the first nine months of 2022. While anticipating the certification of its new flagship G700 before the end of the year, the Savannah, Georgia-based OEM reportedly has at least 15 of the new ultra-long-range twinjets completed and waiting.
Textron Aviation experienced a 6.3 percent decrease in deliveries, handing over nine fewer Citation M2 Gen2 light jets than it did a year ago. Dassault Aviation reports only its mid-year and year-end delivery totals.
Pilatus posted an increase of more than 18 percent for its PC-24 compared with the same period last year, while Cirrus boosted its SF50 Vision Jet output by 13 percent, delivering 61 of the light jets through the first three quarters of the year. Honda Aircraft remained virtually static, handing over one fewer HondaJet thus far in 2023. The resurrected Eclipse Aerospace delivered two Eclipse 550s earlier this year.
In the bizliner category, Airbus had no deliveries in its ACJ family this year after posting five in 2022, while Boeing handed over one BBJ 737-8 versus no BBJ deliveries in the first three quarters of last year.
Turboprops rose by nearly 15 percent in the first three quarters, and the high-end pressurized segment experienced a 13.3 percent increase.
Stans, Switzerland-based Pilatus increased the year-over-year deliveries of its single-engine PC-12 from 47 to 66, a more than 40 percent rise. Daher boosted the production of its TBMs by 21 percent this year, delivering five more 960s and one more 910 than it did a year ago. Piper Aircraft added five M600s to its total this year for a 13 percent climb, and both Epic and Piaggio remained static with deliveries of 10 E1000GXs and one P.180 Avanti Evo, respectively. Textron saw erosion in its twin-engine King Airs, handing over four fewer 260s and three fewer 360/ERs than it did in the first nine months of 2022.
Piston airplane deliveries saw a 12 percent gain as total airplane billings climbed by 2.5 percent in 2023 to $14.5 billion.
On the rotorcraft side, turbine helicopter deliveries increased by 6.3 percent year-over-year: 469 were handed over through the first nine months of the year.
Airbus Helicopters increased its deliveries by more than 6 percent, ramping up production of its H125s and H135s to deliver 20 more units than it did in the first nine months of 2022, and offsetting a decline of 12 deliveries of the H145.
Leonardo improved on its third-quarter 2022 totals by nearly 47 percent, almost doubling the number of AW119Kx light single-engine helicopters it delivered through the third quarter of last year and adding nine more medium twin AW139s.
Bell experienced a 26 percent dip in deliveries year-over-year with decreases across its entire lineup, led by 13 fewer light single-engine 505s handed over in 2023.
Robinson Helicopters added six R66s to its delivery total this year, representing a more than 8 percent boost for the Torrance, California-based airframer. Meanwhile, Sikorsky delivered one S-70i, 3 S-76s, and 1 S-92 in the first three quarters of the year, an improvement over the two helicopters it delivered in the same period of 2022. Total helicopter billings rose by 5.4 percent to $2.7 billion YoY.
In his quarterly address, GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce noted that the general aviation segment serves as the aerospace technology incubator that drives safety and sustainability and that it is highly focused on these initiatives to further its future growth. “To achieve this, it is imperative that there is stability within our industry’s regulatory bodies, and having a new, permanent leader at the top of the FAA is a great start,” he stated. “It is also essential that Congress act now to pass an FAA reauthorization bill that provides the new administrator and agency with the necessary direction and tools to strengthen and enhance the aviation system.”