A strong fourth quarter pushed worldwide avionics sales above $2.4 billion, according to the Year-End Avionics Market Report released by the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA).
But sales were still down 4.4% when compared to the previous year, according to AEA officials.
The dollar amount reported (using net sales price, not manufacturer’s suggested retail price) includes: All business and general aviation aircraft electronic sales, including all component and accessories in cockpit/cabin/software upgrades/portables/certified and non-certified aircraft electronics; all hardware (tip to tail); batteries; and chargeable product upgrades from the participating manufacturers. The amount does not include repairs and overhauls, extended warranty or subscription services.
Of the more than $2.4 billion in sales in 2015, 50.9% came from forward-fit (avionics equipment installed by airframe manufacturers during original production) sales, or more than $1.2 billion. The forward-fit market accounted for 51.4% of total sales in 2014 and 54.1% of total sales in 2013.
By contrast, the retrofit (avionics equipment installed after original production) market showed an increase in its percentage of total sales for the third straight year. Retrofit sales amounted to 49.1% of sales in 2015, while the retrofit market accounted for 48.6% of total sales in 2014 and 45.9% of total sales in 2013.
According to the companies that separated their total sales figures between North America (U.S. and Canada) and other international markets, 64.2% of the 2015 sales occurred in North America, while 35.8% took place in other markets.
“The report showed some softness in sales during the first nine months of 2015, as sales were down 7.5% compared to the first nine months of 2014,” said AEA President Paula Derks. “However, that trend reversed itself during the fourth quarter, as sales topped $653 million, a 7.2% increase from the $609 million in sales during the last three months of 2014. Despite the positive surge late in the year, our industry reported a 4.4% decline in year-over-year sales from 2014. Another interesting note is the fact that total sales are now nearly evenly split between the retrofit and forward-fit markets.”