Total avionics sales topped $2.4 billion in the first nine months of 2023, according to the third-quarter 2023 Avionics Market Report from the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA).
That’s a 15.9% increase in total sales compared to the first nine months of 2022, according to AEA officials, who note the increase was driven by a 26.2% increase in forward-fit sales compared to the same time frame one year ago.
During the third-quarter months of July, August, and September, sales increased 9.9% compared to the same time one year ago.
Although third-quarter sales decreased 1.1% sequentially from the second quarter of 2023, the more than $814 million in sales during the third quarter marked the second-highest quarterly sales volume in the history of the report and is only surpassed by the previous quarter, AEA officials pointed out.
Also of note, quarterly forward-fit sales topped $400 million for only the fourth time in the history of the report, which first launched in 2012.
Of the more than $2.4 billion in sales during the first nine months of 2023, 40.7% 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 59.3% of year-to-date sales.
According to the companies that separated their total sales figures between North America (U.S. and Canada) and other markets, 73.3% of the sales volume in the first nine months of 2023 occurred in North America, while 26.7% took place in other markets.
“The industry continues to produce robust forward-fit sales,” said AEA President and CEO Mike Adamson. “However, the retrofit market has grown only 3.6% year-over-year in sales. Even with persistent challenges in the supply chain, avionics manufacturers have done an extraordinary job managing issues and report improvement in product lead times compared to last year. While it’s encouraging that more products are able to get to market, we still face capacity issues due to workforce needs. Our members report their backlogs continue to increase as their need for technicians grows.”
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. The amount does not include repairs and overhauls, extended warranty or subscription services.
For more information: AEA.net/MarketReport
It seems to be impossible to find avionics shop capacity…