In the first three months of the year, total worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales amounted to more than $724 million, according to the Aircraft Electronics Association’s first-quarter 2019 Avionics Market Report.
That represents a 13.2% increase in total sales compared to first-quarter 2018 sales of more than $639 million.
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 noncertified aircraft electronics; all hardware (tip to tail); batteries; and chargeable product upgrades from the participating manufacturers. It does not include repairs and overhauls, extended warranty or subscription services.
Of the more than $724 million in first-quarter 2019 sales, 53.6% came from the retrofit market (avionics equipment installed after original production), while forward-fit sales (avionics equipment installed by airframe manufacturers during original production) amounted to 46.4%.
According to the companies that separated their total sales figures between North America (U.S. and Canada) and other international markets, 76.1% of the first-quarter sales occurred in North America, while 23.9% took place in other markets.
“While it is likely that ADS-B installations in the United States are a contributing factor to the increase in year-over-year sales as we get closer to the FAA’s equipage deadline, those are fairly straight-forward installations,” said AEA President and CEO Mike Adamson. “Our member repair stations report that they are also doing an increasing number of full-panel retrofits. Installations of new electronic flight displays, digital autopilots, engine monitor systems, in-flight connectivity and other technologies are keeping the shops extremely busy, and the ongoing work has helped drive an increase in year-over-year sales for nine-straight quarters.”
Below is a review of the year-end totals for the seven-year history of the AEA Avionics Market Report. Participating companies began separating total sales into retrofit/forward-fit sales in 2013.