Turboprops: Power Up

Incredible capability and efficiency make the category shine.

Julie Boatman

Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 08:00 AM ET

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Response to Daher's Kodiak 900 has been strong. [Credit: Jim Barrett]

Key Takeaways:

The turboprop market experienced healthy growth in 2022 with increased deliveries for both single and multi-engine aircraft, driven by a surge in demand from previous years.
Despite strong demand, aircraft manufacturers are significantly hampered by persistent global supply chain issues, impacting delivery rates for new models.
Key product advancements include Daher's Kodiak 900 and TBM 960, Piper's M-Class, Epic's E1000 GX, and Textron Aviation's new King Air 260/360 and Cessna SkyCourier.
Technological innovations in engines, like the Pratt & Whitney PT6E series, are improving operational efficiency and data monitoring, while Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a critical focus for reducing emissions.

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The turboprop market cruises along, still propelled by the surge in demand as the world worked its way through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022—though numbers have drawn back slightly. That’s a scenario that’s OK for most OEMs that have struggled with lingering supply chain pain points.

In 2022, a total of 505 single-engine turboprops (SETs) were delivered, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), besting the 2021 and 2020 totals of 455 and 381, respectively. That’s a healthy market that should continue, even as pressure from the war in Ukraine continues in Europe with aftershocks globally. On the multiengine side, a total of 77 units went out the door in 2022, up from 72 in 2021, and 62 in 2020.