GAMA found that aircraft shipments rose across all segments compared to 2022, coming in at 3,050 airplanes and 962 helicopters delivered in 2023. The numbers represent year-on-year increases of 9 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. Overall airplane billings for last year rose 2.2 percent to $23.4 billion while total helicopter billings increased 11.2 percent to $4.4 billion.

“For the first time in more than a decade, the general aviation manufacturing industry has eclipsed 4,000 aircraft delivered,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “In addition to this strong showing, there are robust and growing order backlogs for all segments of aircraft. This is a testament to the resilience of our industry and the integral role that general and business aviation plays in our communities.”

Breaking down the numbers, piston airplane deliveries were up 11.8 percent from 1,505 in 2022 to 1,682 in 2023. Turboprop shipments also surged, hitting 638 delivered last year and improving 9.6 percent over the previous year. While business jet deliveries saw the least change, the segment still increased 2.5 percent with 730 delivered.

On the rotorcraft side, 209 piston helicopters shipped last year, up from 194 in 2022. Turbine helicopter deliveries jumped 10.4 percent. GAMA noted that fourth-quarter data from Leonardo Helicopters was not available when the report was published, so it excluded Leonardo’s Q4 2022 data from its comparison.

• READ MORE: GAMA Reports Year-Over-Year Increase in Aircraft Shipments In a ‘Governed’ Recovery

“While the deliveries from 2023 are very encouraging, our industry faces headwinds from ongoing supply chain issues, workforce shortages, uncertainty and unpredictability from global regulators, and shortsighted efforts aimed at curbing business and general aviation, particularly in Europe,” said Bunce. “As civil aviation’s innovation incubator, our entire GA industry is focused on new aircraft and technologies that will lead the way in safety and sustainability for the entire aviation sector. This progress is dependent on having effective, predictable, and accountable regulatory processes, and a supportive business environment.

“Therefore, it is crucial that the U.S. Congress passes a long-term FAA reauthorization bill, a fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill for the FAA, and a tax measure, which is pending, that promotes research and development.”

GAMA’s full report is available on its website.

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The net gain through the first half of 2023 puts the industry on even footing for measured growth year over year.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) released the figures Tuesday in its Second Quarter Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report, pointing to good trends overall for the year. However, the association tempered its enthusiasm with a distinct warning of rough times ahead if the FAA cannot secure steady leadership—and if the reauthorization bill currently in play fails to make good on the current spirit of bipartisanship shepherding its passage through Congress.

“The growth of our industry remains strong as manufacturers continue to deliver and take orders for new aircraft,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA’s president and CEO. “As we look towards the future, it will be imperative that we have stability, accountability and sound direction from regulatory authorities, particularly in the United States. Not only does the FAA need an effective permanent leader during this transformative time for aviation, but the agency is in the process of being reauthorized by Congress. 

“We are encouraged by the bipartisanship we have seen throughout the legislative process and hope that the momentum to finalize an FAA reauthorization bill continues to build so that the agency can enhance its ability to deliver critical activities that promote safety, innovation, and efficient promulgation of rules, policy, and guidance that preserve global aerospace leadership.”

Improving Numbers Across the Segments

The news is positive in each of the primary segments: piston, turboprop, jet, and helicopters. With jets registering the smallest percent increase in deliveries, the total rise for that segment over the first half of last year (2.4 percent) is reflected in the little nudge the total billings received for the period (up 1.4 percent). However, that’s still $100 million more overall in total airplane billings.

With the piston segment, numbers went up 11.4 percent over last year’s first half, with leadership from Cirrus Aircraft—delivering 84 SR22Ts in Q2—Diamond, Piper, Tecnam, and Textron Aviation. Deliveries of Textron Aviation’s single-engine piston line gained from the fact it shipped twice as many 172s in Q2 as in Q1—happy news for the numerous flight schools with the Skyhawk on order. 

But at nearly $1.7 billion in billings for the first half of 2023, that wasn’t enough for TextAv to jump the ring to contest Gulfstream and Bombardier for total overall take. Gulfstream stands ahead by a nose on the year, with $2.508 billion (on 45 total units shipped), against Bombardier’s $2.485 billion (51 units shipped).

Rise in Rotorcraft Shipments, Too

While over the first six months of 2023 numbers improved across the board, significant progress took place in the rotorcraft sector. A bump of nearly 30 percent in total helicopter billings reflected good news for a segment that struggled a bit, particularly in its piston segment. Those days seem to be over, at least for now, with the growth showing evenly across the rotorcraft market.

“The helicopter industry continues its rebound from the pandemic period, and I expect that helicopter sales will continue to climb,” said James Viola, president of Helicopter Association International, in response to the report. “Because most helicopter crews fly public service missions, most of our aircraft continued to operate during the pandemic, so our recovery has been quick and positive. Advanced air mobility (AAM) is on the way, but helicopters will continue to fly vital missions until suitable replacement AAM aircraft are available.”

Six-Month Aircraft Shipment and Billing

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While the numbers indicate the market is holding steady, there are signs of concern. Bottlenecks in certification and supply chain, and a minor downtick in business jet operations—depending on whom you speak with—continue to produce drag on an industry seeking to innovate sustainable and efficient solutions in the face of outside attacks on the use of private aviation.

GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce was blunt about the success of the industry in spite of that friction. 

“The continued health of the general aviation manufacturing industry is encouraging, particularly in light of persistent supply chain, workforce, and North American regulatory process challenges,” said Bunce in a statement from GAMA with the report. “Our manufacturers are focused on meeting this thriving product demand with new aircraft which incorporate advanced technologies that further enhance safety and fuel performance. During this transformative time in aerospace, our manufacturers continually demonstrate that our sector is the technology incubator for safety and sustainability.” 

Outside Pressure Creating Friction

The events of the past week drew Bunce’s comments to a specific point. “This message is being emphasized this week at [the European Business Aviation Conference and Expo] in Geneva and will also be a focus at the Paris Air Show as we counter the shortsighted, irrational attacks directed upon business aviation in Europe. 

“In stark contrast, emphasis on our demonstrated record of environmental sustainability leadership was very well received on Capitol Hill in early May when GAMA member company leaders participated in more than 125 meetings with U.S. legislators. Other issues discussed with senators and representatives across the political spectrum included the immediate need for a confirmed FAA administrator, improved training for the young FAA workforce, strengthened bilateral engagement, and timely passage of an FAA reauthorization bill to provide clear, multiyear direction for the agency.” 

The full downloadable report can be found here.

First Quarter 2023 Shipments and Billings

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The themes at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association 2023 State of the Industry press conference echoed almost precisely those of the past three years. But it was served with a bright lemon twist, as deliveries indicate a recovery to near 2019 levels for turbine, turboprop, and piston aircraft serving business and personal aviation.

In its 2022 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment Report, GAMA registered more unit totals than 2019 (2,818 turbine and piston, worldwide vs. 2,658) yet slightly lower total aircraft billings (at $23.515 billion at the time of the 2019 report in February 2020 vs. $22.866 billion as released on February 22, 2023).

Meeting the pent-up demand for air transportation faces a web of challenges intertwined: a workforce with gaps in experience as well as headcount, a supply chain still oscillating through global health and conflict concerns, and the desire to incorporate the innovation that the industry leads the world in motivation to deliver.

As GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce pointed out in his remarks, “what other mode of transportation has not one, but two museums in the Smithsonian structure? That is how important aerospace is to the fabric of U.S. society.”

In the vacuum left in more than 140 locales that saw a drop in commercial air service in recent years, general aviation has stepped in to fill the need—and it’s okay that the industry is meeting that demand at a measured pace. “I’m not sure that’s necessarily a bad thing,” said Eric Hinson, president and CEO of Simcom International and GAMA Board Chairman for 2023. 

“As we’ve slowly recovered post-pandemic on supply chain,” said Hinson, “it’s acting sort of like a governor on the level of activity in terms of aircraft production that we’re seeing…having lived through a couple of those the previous cycles, it would be nice to see [this be] a little more moderated. I think we still have quite a bit of room to go.”

Looking Back to GAMA 1974

In his remarks, Hinson pointed out the distinct differences between the GA shipments in 1974, nearly 50 years ago—when GAMA first came together in New York—and today. While in 1974, GAMA’s 28 member companies reported 14,166 deliveries and a total booking of $910 million, in today’s report, more than 140 member companies saw less than 3,000 shipments, yet booked nearly $23 million in revenue. More tellingly, in 2023 dollars, the $910 million becomes $5.5 billion—making for an average cost of those aircraft $400,000. Instead, the average figure booked for an aircraft delivered in 2022 was $8 million.

While the dramatic uptick in value can be partially ascribed to the advance of turbine aircraft—only 5 percent of bookings in 1974 were for business jets vs. 50 percent today—“that doesn’t explain the ten-fold increase in price,” said Hinson. “The fact that today we have aircraft that are substantially more capable than were being delivered in 1974. We have business jets that can fly halfway around the world…We have aircraft that can cruise at very close to the speed of sound… We have engines that burn [in some cases up to] 30 or 50 percent more efficiently…We have avionics technology that has made aircraft safer.” 

Year-end Aircraft Shipment and Billing

Piston Deliveries

As a segment, the piston group booked a total of $977 million with 1,524 units delivered. “Shipments were up 8.2 percent,” said Hinson, “and if you look at that from the beginning of [2010] that’s a 48 percent increase over that period of time.” The mix has changed, with piston aircraft growing in complexity, with the incorporation not only of glass on the flight deck—including advanced avionics such as autoland and envelope protection—but also in fadec-enabled powerplants and more efficient engines.

Cirrus Aircraft led the fixed-wing piston segment with 539 shipments (the SR20, SR22, and SR22T), or more than 39 percent of the single-engine piston market. 

Turboprop Deliveries

The turboprop market registered the highest year-over-year increase again, with 582 shipments in 2022 vs. 527 in 2021, for an increase of 10.4 percent. The largest volume of deliveries in the hotly contested single-engine turboprop market went to Pilatus Aircraft, with 80 units of the PC-12 out the door, followed by Daher, with 73 total units (including the TBM 960, Kodiak 100, and Kodiak 900), and Textron Aviation, with 71 of the Caravan 675 and Grand Caravan EX.

What we’re seeing now, said Hinson, is that, instead of an owner-pilot moving from the single-engine piston to the twin-engine piston, that pilot moves from the single-engine piston to the single-engine turboprop.

In the multiengine turboprop segment, the Beechcraft King Air continues to dominate, with 75 of the total 77 shipments from the legendary twin.

Jet Deliveries

While the jet market appeared to be “stagnant” on paper, with just two more units delivered, the total value of bookings ticked up more significantly, 4.5 percent, at $19.8 billion, said Bunce. 

Among the leading OEMs, Gulfstream Aerospace delivered 120 of its total portfolio, to the tune of $6.6 billion, with the G500/G600/G650/G650ER totaling 96 of those shipments. Embraer totaled 102 business jet deliveries in 2022, while Cirrus led single-engine jet deliveries, with 90 of the SF50 Vision Jet over to customers.

A handful of new aircraft made it to market last year, including the Airbus ACJ220-100; Daher Kodiak 900 and TBM 960; Elixir 912iS; Extra Aircraft Extra NG, Tecnam Aircraft P-Mentor; Textron Aviation CE-408 SkyCourier, CE-525 M2 Gen2, and CE-560XL Citation XLS+ Gen 2; and Thrush Aircraft S2R-510, which all entered into service in 2022.

• Read More: Global Avionics Sales Posted Strong Growth in 2022

Delays in Process Improvement at FAA

One of the most critical issues faced by the industry is the ongoing challenge created by several factors at play at the FAA, starting with the leadership gap left by the delay in confirming a new FAA Administrator. “Acting, acting, acting, down the list,” said Bunce, recounting the temporary position holders.

Speaking to the congressional hearing hosted by the House Aviation Subcommittee on the FAA’s latest reauthorization bill earlier this month, Bunce said, “Despite the good work of thousands of dedicated FAA employees, delays in the promulgation of rulemaking, policies, and guidance have inhibited the progression of safety-enhancing aeronautical products through the certification system. Contributing to these delays is a large backlog of technical standards, policy memos, orders, and advisory circulars. Improvements are needed to the overall process to address development of safety standards.”

“The FAA and DOT internal administrative process has resulted in significant delays to promulgate and implement the results of these consultative efforts which negatively impacts this collective strength” of the ARAC process. Bunce noted several instances where other national aviation agencies such as EASA have implemented the outcomes of the ARAC process prior to FAA implementation of the recommendations in the U.S. 

In fact, properly utilizing the bilateral agreements in place between authorities such as the FAA and EASA is one key to solving some of these issues. “We’ve got to get back to a system where we’re taking that type of approach, because otherwise the regulators are going to get further and further behind,” said Bunce at the conference.

EAGLE Stymied by MOU

Another issue of great concern to the industry lies in the requirement to transition to unleaded avgas from the currently broadly used 100LL—a transition the industry welcomes yet understands must be addressed at a measured pace.

A recent report in FLYING outlined how the city of San Jose had struck a memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the FAA to stop litigation against it for banning the sale of leaded fuel. Bunce addressed this move directly and in no uncertain terms that, in his estimation, it flew in the face of what EAGLE seeks to achieve—and it may serve as a means by which other locales can shutter an airport. “A lot of communities are using this issue to close their airports,” said Bunce. “Pure and simple. They have been trying to close Reid-Hillview for years and years, and when they couldn’t do it on noise, they tried to starve the airport and take SMO’s model—Santa Monica’s airport—and they tried to apply it, and they’ve used this issue to try and close that airport.” Other communities are likely to take up the same template, he continued.

“What DOT has done,” said Bunce, “with this MOU is produce a model and encourage other communities to do that before this industry is ready to transition. We’re fully committed to transition by the end of 2030…but that MOU is so full of holes, and really it doesn’t…have any teeth to it.”

Youth Workforce Panel

One highlight of the conference this year was a panel led by GAMA board member Maria Della Posta, president of Pratt & Whitney Canada. Five individuals at various points along their early career paths were selected to answer questions on how they got into the aviation industry—and how it might entice more of their cohorts to do the same. Diversity and representation form one key, according to panelist Rosa Lee Argotsinger, director of safety and security programs for Textron Aviation. “Airlines are setting targets…we need that level of intention.”

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Overall, the news is good—at least on the airplane side of the house, with deliveries up nearly 10 percent over the same period in 2021 and the total dollar amount up by 5.2 percent.

Things were a bit more measured for rotorcraft, with deliveries overall gaining just 0.6 percent and total billings down by 5.6 percent, or roughly $100 million.

“Despite ongoing supply chain and workforce issues, our industry continues to make progress and strategically posture for the future, which is a true testament to our strength and durability,” said GAMA’s president and CEO Pete Bunce.

“Demand for general aviation aircraft continues at a robust pace. Since the initial setbacks of the pandemic, we have seen some segments make strides with growing backlogs and high rates of operations while others are still diligently working to navigate the path to recovery.”

Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Overall, results from the first half of 2022 indicate strongly that the industry is well into recovery from the anemic pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. In fact, shipments for airplanes overall came in slightly higher than the figures for 2019, with 1,174 deliveries through the end of June 2022 versus 1,137 for the same period in 2019.

Especially strong, compared to 2019, are single-engine piston airplane sales, which are nearly 9 percent higher than three years ago, with 638 shipments overall. 

Billings, however, are for the airplane segment in total versus pre-pandemic numbers, notching $5.271 million against $5.581 million—reflective of the fact that business jet sales (the most expensive mounts in the airplane category) still haven’t come back completely. There were 289 deliveries for the first half of 2022 and 333 for the term three years ago. Indications are strong from turbine-producing OEMs that as they work through backlogs of six to 18 months and solve supply chain pain points, those numbers will improve over the remainder of 2022.

So What’s Up?

The top winners for piston airplane shipments included Cirrus and Diamond, with significant increases in SR20 and DA40 shipments respectively.

In a statement to FLYING, Cirrus Aircraft CEO Zean Nielsen said the company historically has “consistently had a stronger delivery quarter in Q2 than Q1. Recently, we have seen momentum in our fleet business and delivered more aircraft to fleet customers in the first half of 2022 than we have in the past several years.

“In addition, our non-fleet flight training business continues to see strong growth; more people are choosing to make personal aviation a part of their lives and learning to fly in a SR20 at their local Cirrus Training Center. Both resulted in a strong 1H of SR20 training aircraft deliveries in 2022.”

Diamond also reported improvements post-pandemic. “Our Q2 numbers will have seen an improvement as our supply chain issues continue to recover from the COVID disruptions,” said Trevor Mustard, aircraft sales manager for Diamond in a statement to FLYING. “Additionally, there have been further efforts to ramp up our production at all our facilities in order to meet the steady demand from our customer base. Fleet (training) and private owners make up an estimated 60:40 percent ratio, respectively.”

Also back in the fight: turboprop sales, which suffered particularly in 2020, falling from 231 deliveries in 2019 to 152 in 2020 for the first two quarters of those years. Through June 2022, GA turboprop manufacturers reported 247 shipments with projections for a strong second half of the year as well.

The Not-So-Good News

Multiengine piston sales remain soft, though with some recovery in the first six months of this year—and rotorcraft sales overall are just beginning to bounce back. Helicopter OEMs shipped 414 total units in the first half of 2019, but just 257 in 2020 for that period, and 344 for the same range in 2022.

Six Month Aircraft Shipments and Billings

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GAMA held its annual State of the Industry Press Conference on Wednesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to deliver the report and update the industry on the key challenges it faces in 2022: 

• Fuel
• Sustainability
• Workforce
• Supply chain

“The strength and tenacity of the general aviation industry has provided a strong foundation for the industry to rebound from pandemic-related setbacks with a powerful showing in 2021,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA president and CEO. “Total aircraft shipments are converging on figures that were seen before the outset of the pandemic. 

“The industry has been able to weather the storm by strategically managing workforce and supply chain challenges, which unfortunately are still ongoing,” Bunce continued. “Despite this adversity, there is robust interest and excitement in our industry as we continue to further our advancements in innovation, technology and environmental sustainability.”

Bunce opened the press conference with a tribute to FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, who announced his retirement halfway through his tenure at the agency.

“I was there…in Congress during his confirmation hearing and when Mr. Dickson said the Max is not going to be returned to service ‘until I fly it,’ I knew that very second that not only was he going to be confirmed, but that that was the the strong leadership that we want to have in the FAA.”

In the first stage of the pandemic, the challenge was to keep the workforce employed. “The money wasn’t there,” said Bunce, but then he credited the funding earmarked for support, totaling $673 million helping 593 companies. Other good things came during the past two years, including stronger bilateral cooperation between the EU and North America, and the launch of the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change that was signed last fall.

Bunce noted another industry and FAA cooperative effort, when industry realized that the last business day of 2021 would fall on Friday, December 31, a holiday. By working with the agency, OEMs were able to book roughly $250 million in year-end deliveries, helping to bolster the year.

EAGLE Initiative Launches

Dickson was on hand to present a critical step forward in the quest to solve the troubled future of leaded avgas. Bunce introduced the effort, recognizing that though the industry has been working on the problem for a decade, the pressure to find a solution has grown rapidly in recent months. “We’ve got a time clock ticking,” he said.

Dickson announced the EAGLE initiative–Eliminate Aviation Gas Lead Emissions–as a four-pillared program joining the GA industry with the FAA in pushing forward to cut leaded fuel from the fleet by 2030. “We have the will to get this done,” said Dickson, noting that general aviation’s piston fleet accounts for 350 tons of lead emissions into the atmosphere every day.

Piston Airplane Shipments See Modest Uptick

In 2021, piston airplane deliveries increased 5.5 percent as compared to the reduced numbers in 2020, with a total of 1,393 units out the door. Shipments in North America accounted for 68.7 percent overall, with the Asia-Pacific market coming in second at 14.4 percent.

Piston airplanes comprise a critical portion of the fleet in terms of maintaining the airport infrastructure found across the U.S. Bunce called it “an infrastructure to preserve…the U.S. is an aviation nation…and we need to keep every one of them open.”

Turboprop Deliveries Make Good Strides

A brighter spot: Turboprop airplane deliveries increased by 19.0 percent, with 527 units. Turboprop customers in North America took delivery of 52.6 percent of the global total, with the Latin America market tallying 15.7 percent of the pie.

Turboprop shipments reflected the strength not only of the private aviation sector, which saw growth owing to people new to GA wanting to travel outside of the airlines, but also the owner-pilot segment. In an industry panel, moderator Maria Della Posta, president of Pratt & Whitney Canada, said OEMs had done a fantastic job introducing new models through the pandemic, with the demand increasing for owners new to the market.

Jet Shipments Reflect Increase in Private Aviation Travel

Business jet deliveries increased by 10.2 percent, with a total 710 units shipped. Overall, the airplane deliveries for 2021 was preliminarily cast at $21.6 billion, an increase of roughly 7.6 percent. 

North American dominated the business jet segment as well, with 65.9 percent of deliveries into the region in 2021. Next in line? Europe, with 18 percent of the total shipments.

GAMA board chairman Michael Amalfitano presented the industry report to the conference, noting that GA shipments are not yet collectively back to pre-pandemic levels. However, he said, “the backlog would tell you the stronger story,” with many OEMs registering delivery dates towards the end of 2023 or 2024 in some cases.

Rotorcraft Charge Upward

Coming back from a truly soft year, piston helicopter deliveries rebounded with an increase of 27.5 percent as compared to 2020, with 181 units. A first look at civil-commercial turbine helicopter shipments registered an increase of 24.8 percent, with 645 units. The preliminary value of helicopter deliveries for 2021 was $3.7 billion, an increase of about 28 percent.

While Leonardo Helicopters hadn’t yet reported its 2021 addition to the turbine segment, the rotorcraft industry overall reflected the same strength as the rest of the GA market.

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In fact, except for piston airplanes, which saw billings dip slightly by 0.7 percent (off only by 6 units), every other category that GAMA tracks recorded double-figure growth.

“The general aviation manufacturing industry has shown perseverance with continued growth, all while still navigating pandemic-related setbacks, including ongoing supply chain and workforce challenges,” GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce said. 

Highlights

• The value of airplane deliveries through the third quarter of 2021 was $13.4 billion, an increase of approximately 13 percent.
• North American clients took delivery of more than 70 percent of the aircraft sold so far this year. 
• Through three quarters, Gulfstream Aerospace leads the way in deliveries for 2021, recording $4.13 billion. This was attributed to high demand for its G500/G550/G600/G650/G650ER series.
• Bombardier delivered two more units than Gulfstream (82), but recorded billings of $4.03 billion, thanks in large part to its Global 5000/5500/6000/6500/7500 jets.

“Despite the constraints imposed by shortages of parts and people, our manufacturers and maintenance providers are working hard to meet the growing demand for both new and used aircraft, which we obviously welcome and embrace,” Bunce said. 

“Our members are also leading the way in new innovations and technologies, which will shape the future of aviation. The first nine months of 2021 have shown great progress and we look forward to seeing how the year closes out.”You can read the full report here.

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