At its annual pre-NBAA forecast event, Honeywell said that its annual survey of turbine airplane operators revealed a mixed forecast for bizjet sales over the next several years, with uncertain economic factors continuing to affect the purchase plans of many buyers. Despite the uncertainty, the survey saw what it called a moderate recovery, with the usual motivations for new-airplane purchases, including new technology, engines and safety systems.
Of the 1,500 business aircraft operators, Honeywell found that purchase expectations were steady relative to last year, with the next couple of years showing only modest growth. The 10-year-term forecast still sees a vibrant market for business aircraft, with 10,000 jets being delivered at a value of $250 billion, up nearly 10 percent from last year’s forecast numbers.
Interest from North American operators still leads the way, with 53 percent of the next decade’s sales forecast to be from this region, down two percentage points from last year’s survey.
The survey of 1,500 business aircraft operators showed purchase expectations to be steady relative to last year, though more buyers were looking at purchasing airplanes sooner in the period, a tilting that could augur well for future bizjet sales figures.
The big surprise to many is the continued dominance of the large-cabin segment, which will account for an increasing amount of the business over the next decade, a fact that Wilson told Flying was largely a result, according to operators, not of the need for larger, more comfortable cabins but of the desire for longer range.
