GAMA Announces 2017 Year-End Aircraft Shipment & Billings Numbers

Published in Midwest Flyer – April/May 2018 issue

WASHINGTON, DC – The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has released the 2017 year-end aircraft shipment and billings numbers. At a press conference held in February 2018, GAMA Chairman Phil Straub, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Garmin Aviation, announced that airplane shipments globally increased 2.5 percent, from 2,268 units in 2016 to 2,324 units in 2017 from the same reporting companies. Conversely, airplane billings declined 4.2 percent, from $21.1 billion to $20.2 billion. Worldwide rotorcraft shipments rose 7.5 percent, from 861 units in 2016 to 926 units in 2017. Rotorcraft billings increased by 1.4 percent, from $3.6 billion in 2016 to $3.7 billion in 2017.

Notable from these numbers is that the rotorcraft segment stabilized after several years of declining deliveries. Piston rotorcraft experienced the largest increase of all segments at 264 unit deliveries, compared to 224 in 2016, a 17.9 percent increase. Preliminary turbine rotorcraft data also indicates an increase of 3.9 percent, to 662 aircraft delivered.

Business jet aircraft deliveries grew slightly, by 1.3 percent, rising from 667 to 676 units. Driving this growth are the several new aircraft models that entered into service in 2017. Turboprop deliveries slowed to 563 airplanes, compared to 582 deliveries in 2016; a 3.3 percent decline, while piston airplane shipments strengthened by 6.5 percent, to 1,085 units.

GAMA is an international trade association representing over 100 of the world’s leading manufacturers of general aviation airplanes and rotorcraft, engines, avionics, components and related services (www.GAMA.aero).

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