General aviation recovery gathers pace as manufacturers report increases in deliveries compared with last year
Raytheon Aircraft (RAC) is the latest to report a dramatically improved order intake, as the general aviation industry unveils deliveries and billings up substantially from a year earlier. Third-quarter bookings at RAC almost doubled to $704 million and orders almost tripled to 158 aircraft. Industry-wide, deliveries in the first nine months of the year increased almost 8% to 1,928 aircraft and billings almost 16% to $7.81 billion.
Business jet deliveries in the first nine months rose more than 10% from a year earlier, to 392 aircraft, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Turboprop shipments increased 19% to 194 units, while piston deliveries rose 5.5% to 1,342 aircraft.
Based on RAC's third-quarter performance, the general aviation recovery is continuing to gather pace. The company saw orders for jets more than double, from 16 to 34 aircraft, while turboprop bookings jumped from 25 units to 46 and orders for piston-powered aircraft soared from 15 to 78.
The third quarter saw the continued recovery at Bombardier, where business jet deliveries for the first nine months totalled 94, up from 50 over the same period last year. Dassault has seen an increase in deliveries over the year to date, with Falcon deliveries totalling 39, compared with 26 last year. Deliveries were up slightly at Gulfstream. Piston shipments were boosted by the ongoing production ramp-up at "new" general aviation manufacturers, including Cirrus Design, where deliveries for the first nine months were up from 307 aircraft to 385; Diamond, up from 171 to 181; and Lancair, up from 31 to 54. Shipments were flat at New Piper, while EADS Socata has delivered only five piston singles so far this year after suspending series production.
GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Source: Flight International