With the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s freezing its funds on July 1, the results of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s third quarter shipment and billing report was mixed. There was an overall loss over last year’s report for billings during the first three quarters of $600 million, from $19.1 billion in 2014 to $18.5 billion this year.
Particularly hard hit were the piston and turboprop airplane manufacturers as well as those of turbine rotorcraft, all of which declined around 10 percent. Compared with 2014, the combined numbers for the first nine months of the year showed a decline in shipments for piston airplanes of nearly 11 percent, from 806 in 2014 to 719 this year. Turboprops declined from 413 to 374 while turbine rotorcraft dropped from 525 to 480, a decline of 8.6 percent.
Meanwhile, the bizjet market has remained strong, seeing an increase in shipments of 4.3 percent, from 446 in 2014 to 465 in 2015. Piston rotorcraft remained stable at 205 helicopters, an increase of two since last year.
“We are hopeful that the Surface Transportation bill to which Ex-Im reauthorization is attached will be conferenced quickly and sent to the President’s desk for his signature,” said GAMA’s president and CEO Pete Bunce. ” We also hope Congress will move quickly to extend critical tax policies, providing greater certainty to the market going forward.
