The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has released the\u00c2\u00a02018 year-end results at its \u201cState of the Industry\u201d press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GAMA Chairman and\nGulfstream Aerospace Corp. President Mark Burns announced that globally, airplane\nshipments increased 4.7 percent, to 2,443 units in 2018. Airplane billings\nincreased 1.5 percent, from $20.2 billion to $20.6 billion. Worldwide\nrotorcraft shipments rose 5.4 percent, from 926 to 976 units. Rotorcraft\nbillings decreased slightly, by 0.7 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notable from these\nnumbers is piston airplane deliveries increased by 5.0 percent, to 1,139 units.\nTurboprop airplane shipments increased to 601 units. Business jet deliveries\nimproved, from 677 to 703 units. There were 281 piston rotorcraft deliveries\ncompared to 264 in 2017. Preliminary turbine rotorcraft delivery data shows a\n5.0 percent increase, to 695 shipments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the first\nyear since 2013 that we\u2019ve seen all segments up in deliveries,\u201d said GAMA\nPresident and CEO Pete Bunce. \u201cNew certifications over the last two years,\nespecially in the lighter jet segments, as well as demand in North America are\ndriving the business jet shipment increase. This is also the second consecutive\nyear in which shipments of piston and turbine rotorcraft are up, driven by the\nintroduction of new models to the market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile impacts of the\nU.S. partial government shutdown are still being felt and assessed, we remain\noptimistic given recent type certifications and other certifications in the\nproduct queue that bode well for the large airplane segment to continue its\nstrength,\u201d continued Bunce. \u201cAlso encouraging is the demand for specific\naircraft types we\u2019re seeing in North America, the Asia-Pacific and the Middle\nEast and Africa regions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n