Published in Midwest Flyer – April/May 2019 issue
VERO BEACH, FLA. – Piper Aircraft, Inc. has announced a 48% increase in aircraft deliveries for 2018, as well as a 38% increase in total aircraft billings. Piper’s segment leading growth was distributed across both primary product lines, Trainer and M-Class aircraft. Global Piper trainer demand increased more than 50% YOY. Sales of the robust single-engine Archer grew by nearly 50% YOY, while twin-engine Seminole deliveries rose 117%. Additionally, sales of Piper’s M-Class products, which include the M350, M500 and M600, expanded by 36%, driving Piper’s total 2018 aircraft billings to $263M, up by more than $71M vs 2017. International deliveries of Piper products showed growth of 12%, with an increase in M-Class deliveries to Brazil being a primary factor.
In addition to Piper’s sales success, during 2018 Piper Aircraft announced the certification of G1000 NXi in the Seneca, M350 and M500, the appointment of three new Piper dealers, and the largest trainer order in company history. The continued rise in demand for Piper trainers drove order backlog to nearly 700 aircraft entering 2019 and had a positive impact on the Vero Beach community with a 14% employment increase, bringing the total number of employees to over 1,000.
“2018 was an exceptional year for Piper Aircraft as we continued to deliver a measurable impact for customers, and our employees. Together with our world-class Dealer Partners, the results reflect our unrelenting commitment to serving customers with quality and distinction,” said Simon Caldecott, President and Chief Executive Officer at Piper Aircraft.
“Over the past year, we have increased strategic investments in our facilities and products to better position Piper Aircraft to support the growing but stable demand for our diverse product lines. We also have expanded our efforts and investments to drive innovation, while achieving strong financial results.”
For Piper sales and service in the Midwest, contact Des Moines Flying Service at 515-256-5300 ( www.dmfs.com and www.piper.com ).
