Business jets and piston general aviation aircraft posted double-digit growth in the first nine months of 2019, according to the latest figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Business jet deliveries rose by 15.4% in the first nine months of 2019 to 516, up from 447 in 2018. Piston airplane deliveries rose by 12.3% from 781 in 2018 to 877 in 2019.
On the flip side, deliveries of turboprops and rotorcraft took double-digit dives.
The number of turboprop deliveries dropped 11.6% from 395 to 349 airplanes.
In the first nine months of the year, 434 turbine powered rotorcraft were delivered, compared to 513 in 2018, a 15.4% drop. That was eclipsed, however, by the 38.2% drop in piston engine powered rotorcraft. So far in 2019, 136 piston engine powered rotorcraft were delivered, compared to 220 in 2018.
The value of rotorcraft shipments so far in 2019 was $2.2 billion compared to $2.7 billion in 2018, a 17.3% reduction.
Those losses were offset by the increase in total airplane billings to $14.8 billion, a 16% increase from the $12.8 billion in the same period in 2018.
“The first nine months of 2019 show positive results for business jets and piston airplanes,“ said GAMA President & CEO Pete Bunce. “Turboprops and rotorcraft, however, continued to encounter headwinds. Despite these mixed results, our manufacturers continue their investments in advanced factory machinery, design software, and associated processes that keep product development cycles robust and in-turn bring advances in fuel efficiency, capability, and safety to the global fleet.”