Piper Aircraft European Sales Stronger Than Anticipated

Vero Beach, Fla., May 7, 2012 – Piper Aircraft dealers in Europe have noted a sales trend toward new, more fuel-efficient business aircraft.

"We are seeing more buyers opt for new, more fuel-efficient aircraft as they downsize from twin-engine aircraft," said Peter Winters, General Manager of Winters Aviation, with Piper sales responsibility in France and Belgium. "At the same time they are keeping their cabin-class preferences intact with the single-engine Piper Meridian and Piper Mirage. They are just flying more efficiently now in response to changes in aviation fuel prices," he said.
 
Early in 2012, Piper delivered three new Piper Meridian turboprops into France and a Piper Mirage pressurized single in Switzerland. Additionally, the company has five more M-Class single-engine aircraft set for delivery to retail customers in Europe this year.

 
"This performance is higher already than we expected for the entire year," said Enrico Evers, Piper’s Director of Sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "Winters Aviation has been particularly effective," Evers said. "But indeed the whole EMEA Piper dealer network has been strong."
 
Piper’s international aircraft deliveries continued to outpace those in the United States, led by the vigorous sales in Europe. The company’s international success clearly demonstrates the wisdom of its aggressive globalization strategy.
 
"All of our dealers are fielding more customer inquiries and the recently ended AERO Friedrichshafen aviation trade show generated considerably more leads and aircraft demonstrations than past years," he said.
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Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.