The market sent mixed signals to the general and business aviation sector in the second quarter, as the total number of fixed-wing aircraft deliveries declined but overall sales inched higher compared to the same period last year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced on 31 July.
Total aircraft shipments fell by 19 units year-on-year to 573 in the second quarter, but the value of those shipments rose about $154 million to $5.89 billion, the GAMA numbers show.
Overall the industry performed better in the second quarter than in the first three months of the year, when fixed-wing shipments plunged by 76 aircraft compared to the first quarter in 2014.
Led by significantly higher deliveries of Cessna 172S aircraft, single-engine pistons staged a crucial recovery in the second quarter. After delivering only 176 models in the first quarter, piston single shipments totaled 234 in the second quarter.
On a year-over-year basis, business jets deliveries also improved by nine units to 172 aircraft in the second quarter of 2015, as production of new models such as the Bombardier Challenger 350 and the Embraer Legacy 500 ramped up production.
Helicopter deliveries, meanwhile, grew dramatically in terms of both units and value, with overall shipments growing by 30 and the value increasing by nearly $400 million. About half of that improvement, however, was due to the addition of quarterly numbers provided by AgustaWestland, which did not participate in GAMA’s survey last year.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
