Piper Aircraft Inc. ended 2012 with increased annual revenue from new aircraft sales of $148,968,967, up more than 13 percent from $131,263,539 in 2011. The revenue increase was a result of a 16 percent rise in new Piper deliveries to 158 aircraft in 2012 from 136 the previous year.
"We stabilized the manufacturing and delivery of new aircraft throughout the year as our initiative to level-load factory production continued to meet with success. At the same time, our overall aircraft deliveries rose faster than the rest of the industry," said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott. "The company also met internal financial forecasts and continued working long-range product plans for the future."
Deliveries of 2012 M-Class aircraft featured enhanced cabin-class features for ease of access, brighter lighting, improved sound and electrical service, and better air distribution. Strengthening its commitment to pilot training, Piper delivered 10 Piper Seminole training aircraft to Airline Transport Professionals and completed delivery of a number of Piper Warrior training aircraft to Sekolah Tinggi Penerbangan Indonesia, the government flight school at Budiarto Airport in Curug, Indonesia.
While increasing production in 2012, Piper also continued to expand its global dealer network by appointing new dealers in the Netherlands, Chile, India, Central America, Korea, Turkey and China. In addition, the company located a sales manager in China to further develop that growing potential market.
Fourth-quarter revenue from new aircraft sales was $42,090,089 in 2012, up more than 8 percent from $38,735,165 the previous year. During 2012, Piper delivered 93 top-of-the line M-Class aircraft compared with 82 the previous year, which also helped the annual revenue mix.