WASHINGTON, D.C. — General aviation airplane shipments fell 4.6% last year, from 2,376 aircraft in 2014 to 2,267 in 2015.
Billings also dropped, down 4% from $21.8 billion in 2014 to $20.9 billion last year, according to recently released figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
Shipments of piston-engine airplanes fell for the first time since 2010, down 6.5%, from 1,129 in 2014 to 1,056 in 2015.
Turboprop airplane shipments also declined, from 603 in 2014 to 557 in 2015, a 7.6% drop.
Preliminary business jet shipments were relatively flat, up 1.6%, from 644 in 2014 to 654 in 2015.
Shipments of piston helicopters rose 8.6%, from 257 in 2014 to 279 in 2015. Turbine helicopter shipments, based on initial data, softened from 741 in 2014 to 675 last year.
“The mixed 2015 year-end numbers among the various sectors reflect a market characterized by plummeting energy sector revenue, economic uncertainty, and currency fluctuations in key GA markets such as Brazil, Europe, Russia, and China,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said. “Given the relative strength of the North American GA market, it is particularly important that the U.S. Congress proceed quickly to pass an FAA reauthorization bill that contains certification streamlining and other regulatory reforms that allow manufacturers and repair/overhaul organizations to deliver products more efficiently and make the FAA workforce more productive.”
“In fact, with both the U.S. and Europe looking to revise the rules governing their leading safety authorities, we are at a unique moment that brings with it opportunities and challenges in areas such as leveraging resources, certification efficiency, and better regulation for GA,” Bunce continued. “As a global association, GAMA will continue to work for more effective and efficient regulatory systems worldwide that improve safety and ensure manufacturers, repair and overhaul centers, and our supply chain can get their products into customers’ hands without delay.”
You can see the entire 2015 report, which includes a breakdown of each manufacturer, here.
Note: Bombardier’s fourth quarter aircraft delivery data will be available when Bombardier Inc. announces its financial results for 2015 on Feb. 18. GAMA will update its 2015 aircraft shipment report after that.
Finmeccanica Helicopters fourth quarter data also was not available at the time of publication. Finmeccanica Helicopters will release year-end results on March 16, 2016. GAMA will update the report then.
For the purpose of comparison in the above table and text, GAMA excluded 2014 Q4 data for Bombardier and Finmeccanica Helicopters.