Aircraft deliveries were up across all sectors in 2023, according to the year-end statistics released today by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
“For the first time in over a decade, the general aviation manufacturing industry has eclipsed 4,000 aircraft delivered,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “In addition to this strong showing, there are robust and growing order backlogs for all segments of aircraft.”
Airplane billings rose by $500 million last year, while rotorcraft billings climbed by $400 million.
For the business jet category, last year saw a total of 730 deliveries, a 2.5 percent increase from 2022.
Bombardier improved its totals by nearly 11 percent, handing over 138 jets in 2023, adding 13 Challengers and five Globals to more than make up for the end of the Learjet line in 2022, while Brazilian airframer Embraer saw a nearly 13 percent increase across its product lineup, delivering 115 business jets.
Honda Aircraft moved 22 of its light HondaJets in 2023, five more than in the previous year for a nearly 30 percent increase, and fellow light jet manufacturer Pilatus increased its year-over-year output of its PC-24 by 18 percent, with seven more deliveries than it had in 2022.
Also in the light jet category, Cirrus handed over 96 of its single-engine Vision Jets, an increase of six from its 2022 tally, while a resurgent Eclipse Aerospace delivered two Eclipse 550 light jets for the first time in years in 2023.
On the negative side of the ledger was Gulfstream, which continues to await the certification of its new flagship G700. The airframer is poised to begin deliveries of the ultra-long-range jet, with completed aircraft ready to go. Despite that, the Savannah OEM’s delivery total was only off by 7.5 percent from its 2022 total, with its large-cabin output down by just seven units year over year (YoY).
Dassault, which does not detail its segment deliveries, delivered 26 Falcon jets in 2023, a decrease of nearly 19 percent from its total the previous year, while Textron Aviation saw slight erosion in 2023, delivering 10 fewer Citation jets, led by a 24 percent dip in its M2 Gen2 output, bucking the trend in light jet delivery increases.
Among the bizliner manufacturers, both Airbus and Boeing saw a 50 percent decline YoY.
The turboprop segment overall saw a 9.6 percent increase from 2022, while the high-end pressurized numbers improved by 7 percent. Swiss OEM Pilatus saw a big ramp-up in its PC-12 production, handing over 22 more of the single-engine turboprops for a nearly 28 percent increase YoY.
Florida-based Piper also improved its 2023 totals, delivering 11 more single-engine M600s than it did in 2022, which equated to a 20 percent increase. While Epic Aircraft added another E1000 GX single to its tally from 2022, Daher remained static, handing over 56 TBMs in both years.
In the twin-engine turboprop category, Textron Aviation saw a decrease in its King Airs, delivering 13 fewer in 2023 than it did the previous year, and Piaggio, which handed over two Avanti P.180 Evos in 2022, had a lone delivery last year.
Piston-powered aircraft saw a nearly 12 percent increase in 2023, with 1,682 aircraft handed over.
Deliveries in the rotorcraft segment rose by nearly 10 percent last year compared to 2022. The turbine-powered category showed even better performance with its 753 deliveries equating to a 10.4 percent boost.
Airbus Helicopters saw its output rise by 11 units to 327 rotorcraft, with a decline in H145 deliveries offset by an increase in H135 deliveries.
Bell had more than half of its 171 deliveries last year come in the fourth quarter; the Textron subsidiary experienced a decline of less than 5 percent YoY.
Italy-based OEM Leonardo will not report its Q4 (and therefore year-end) delivery numbers for a couple more weeks, but the manufacturer through the first three quarters of 2023 had exceeded its 2022 delivery total by 44 percent, handing over 112 helicopters.
Robinson continued its post-pandemic ramp-up, improving on its 2022 deliveries of its turbine-powered R66 by 17 units, a 17 percent increase, while MD Helicopters increased its 530F deliveries from three to eight YoY.
Connecticut-based Sikorsky, which had no S-76 deliveries in 2022, handed over three last year, while logging one fewer large-cabin S-92 and adding 10 S-70s.
“While the deliveries from 2023 are very encouraging, our industry faces headwinds from ongoing supply chain issues, workforce shortages, uncertainty and unpredictability from global regulators, and short-sighted efforts aimed at curbing business and general aviation, particularly in Europe,” said Bunce.