Business jet shipments lead the way as order bonanza continues to boost airframers

Bulging orderbooks are fuelling ever higher deliveries as general-aviation manufacturers continue their drive toward record results. Shipments rose almost 19% in the first nine months, to more than 2,840 jet, turboprop and piston aircraft, according to figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

Most manufacturers contributed to the growth in deliveries, led by an increase of more than 23% in business jet shipments over the same period last year, to 629 aircraft. Cessna accounted for more than a third of those, delivering 218 Citations compared with 180 a year earlier. With fourth-quarter order intake already over 160 aircraft, including 115 received at last month's NBAA show, Cessna expects deliveries to grow from 370 next year to 430 in 2008.

Bombardier led in dollar terms, its nine-month total of 160 jet deliveries valued at $3.6 billion, an almost 30% increase in billings over the same period last year, in which it shipped 136 aircraft. Higher deliveries of Challenger 800-series large-cabin and Global Express long-range jets led the increase. Gulfstream's billings rose 24% to top $3.08 billion, with nine-month shipments up from 65 to 83 aircraft and Dassault's rose 30% on 37 Falcon deliveries, up from 30 a year earlier.

Raytheon Aircraft delivered 97 jets, 89 turboprops and 76 pistons in the first nine months, increases of around 20 aircraft in each category, led by higher shipments of Hawker 800XP/850XP mid-size jets. Raytheon says it received orders for 112 Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft at NBAA. Boeing Business Jets, meanwhile, more than tripled billings to $459 million as deliveries jumped from three to 10 aircraft. Embraer shipped 17 Legacys in the first nine months, up from 12.

Turboprop shipments in the first nine months rose more than 12% to 256 aircraft. Pilatus PC-12 deliveries rose from 48 to 61, Piper Meridian from 24 to 32 and EADS Socata TBM 700/850 from 19 to 27, but the Piaggio P180 slipped from five to three as US certification of the Avanti II was delayed. Piston shipments climbed 18% to 1,957 aircraft, led by increases at Cessna (499 to 604), Cirrus (447 to 549), Diamond (241 to 287) and Columbia (100 to 130) and the start-up at Liberty (23 aircraft).




Source: Flight International