GAMA Figures show Flat First Quarter

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) published aircraft shipment figures overnight that show little growth in deliveries for the first quarter of 2024.

Piston-engined aeroplane shipments were up only 0.7%, representing an increase of only two aircraft over the 2023 data, and turbo-props were down 7.7%. The shining light in an otherwise very ordinary quarter was the business jet sector, which recorded a healthy 8.5% increase.

GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce attributed the market performance to ongoing supply problems.

“While the first three months of the year produced a mixed report, the health of the industry remains solid with robust order backlogs strong across all segments," he said.

"Our industry continues to be challenged by significant supply chain issues across the board that range from raw materials, through forgings and castings, to basic parts availability.

"These challenges are most acute in our engine sector. Workforce availability is yet another area that is constraining production.

"However, we are encouraged to see deliveries of business jets continue to increase and remain optimistic that this trend will include other aircraft segments as the year progresses."

Cessna and Piper continued to cross swords in the four-seat trainer sector, with the C172SP scoring 31 deliveries (+19% over 2023) and the PA28 series close on its heels with 28 shipments (-3%). Most surprising, Cirrus' normally robust SR20 recorded one single roll-out for the quarter, most probably related to a production issue rather than a sudden drop in demand.

However, the SR22/T continued to dominate the high-speed single market, despite the 54 deliveries being 8% below last year's mark. Forty of those were the turbo version. Piper's M350 was 300% up on last year, although the four shipments are being compared with the single delivery for Q1 2023, which was a particularly poor showing. The return of the T182T boosted Cessna Skylane figures by 36%.

There were only minor variations in the light twin market, with the Diamond DA42's 16 shipments a 45% increase over 2023 and the DA62's 12 deliveries down 20%. Despite this, the two continue to be the most popular twins on the market.

Single-engine turbo-props experienced a very small drop in shipments of 2%, mostly attributed to the Cessna Caravan series, which recorded a 37% drop in deliveries and the Pilatus PC-12, which was down 27%. Piper's M500/600 was down 75%. Better performances from the Kodiak series (+150%), TBM 900 series (+60%) and Epic G1000 EX (+50%) balanced the books for the sector.

Good shipment figures reported for the Embraer Phenom range (+83%) and Cirrus SF50 (+11%) are indicative of the performance of the entire bizjet market including multi-crew jets. However, Pilatus reported a drop of 40% in roll-outs for the PC-24. 

Major Aircraft Shipments