The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has released the 2018 year-end results at its “State of the Industry” press conference.
GAMA Chairman and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. President Mark Burns announced that globally, airplane shipments increased 4.7 percent, to 2,443 units in 2018. Airplane billings increased 1.5 percent, from $20.2 billion to $20.6 billion. Worldwide rotorcraft shipments rose 5.4 percent, from 926 to 976 units. Rotorcraft billings decreased slightly, by 0.7 percent.
Notable from these numbers is piston airplane deliveries increased by 5.0 percent, to 1,139 units. Turboprop airplane shipments increased to 601 units. Business jet deliveries improved, from 677 to 703 units. There were 281 piston rotorcraft deliveries compared to 264 in 2017. Preliminary turbine rotorcraft delivery data shows a 5.0 percent increase, to 695 shipments.
“This is the first year since 2013 that we’ve seen all segments up in deliveries,” said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. “New certifications over the last two years, especially in the lighter jet segments, as well as demand in North America are driving the business jet shipment increase. This is also the second consecutive year in which shipments of piston and turbine rotorcraft are up, driven by the introduction of new models to the market.”
“While impacts of the U.S. partial government shutdown are still being felt and assessed, we remain optimistic given recent type certifications and other certifications in the product queue that bode well for the large airplane segment to continue its strength,” continued Bunce. “Also encouraging is the demand for specific aircraft types we’re seeing in North America, the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa regions.”
| Segment | 2017 | 2018 | Change |
| Piston Airplanes | 1,085 | 1,139 | +5.0% |
| Turboprops(*) | 563 | 601 | +5.2% |
| Business Jets | 677 | 703 | +3.8% |
| Total Airplane Units | 2,325 | 2,443 | +4.7% |
| Total Airplane Billings | $20.2B | $20.6B | +1.5% |
| Piston Rotorcraft | 264 | 281 | +6.4% |
| Turbine Rotorcraft(**) | 662 | 695 | +5.0% |
| Total Rotorcraft Units | 926 | 976 | +5.4% |
| Total Rotorcraft Billings | $3.7B | $3.6B | -0.7% |
*Viking Air started providing delivery data in 2018.
**Leonardo Helicopters fourth quarter data is not available at the time of publication. Leonardo Helicopters will release year-end results in March. GAMA excluded 2017 fourth quarter data for Leonardo in the comparison table.
View the complete year-end shipment report. Please visit the GAMA website for the most up-to-date data, and to access the 2018 GAMA annual report.
