GA Shipments Decline in 2008

FLYING Staff

Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

General aviation airplane shipments declined for the first time in five years in 2008, with 3,969 deliveries compared to 4,272 in 2007, primarily due to a nearly 21% drop in piston airplane shipments.
Despite the overall unit decline, the total value of all airplanes delivered climbed 13.4% to $24.8 billion, driven by increases in business jet (16%) and turboprop (17%) deliveries.
New orders have significantly slowed, and deferred deliveries indicate a substantial decline in both airplane shipments and their value for 2009.

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For the first time in five years general aviation airplane shipments declined with 3,969 airplanes delivered compared to 4,272 in 2007. Most of the drop occurred in the final quarter of the year, and the decline was limited to piston airplanes with both business jets and turboprops showing an increase.

Piston airplane deliveries at 2,119 units were down nearly 21 percent. But turboprops jumped about 17 percent with 535 airplanes delivered, and jets were up about 16 percent with 1,315 shipments. The total value of all airplanes delivered by members of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) climbed 13.4 percent to $24.8 billion.