WASHINGTON, D.C. — New numbers released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) show that airplane shipments and billings were down in the first quarter of 2015.
Total airplane shipments declined from 520 during the first quarter of 2014 to 441 in the first quarter of 2015. Airplane billings were down 12.6% from last year to $4.5 billion.
Rotorcraft shipments declined by 18.3% to 188 aircraft delivered in the first quarter of 2015 while billings were down 17.9% to $0.8 billion.
“The first-quarter numbers show that, while our industry has been gaining traction over the past few years, we face some renewed headwinds in several regions of the world, including Asia, parts of Europe, and Latin America,” said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. “Our industry is focused on regaining momentum, but we need the U.S. Congress to be a strong partner and reauthorize the Export-Import Bank before the June 30 deadline. It is time to stop playing political games with industry jobs. Congress needs to move ahead and pass reauthorization quickly to ensure a level global playing field and provide needed stability in a difficult market.”