Year-to-Date GA Shipments show further Decline

General aviation aircraft shipments for the first half of 2015 are down over 9% on the 2014 figures.

The numbers released last week by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) for the Janaury-June period show 1015 aeroplanes delivered against 1117 for the same period last year.

Piston aeroplane deliveries fell by 12% and the once-burgeoning turbo-props fell 10%.

“While the second quarter generally improved over the first, our industry is still being buffeted by volatile global markets and contraction within the energy sector,” said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce.

“Robust new product development continues in each of our member companies, accentuating the need for streamlined certification processes and efficient validation mechanisms between regulatory authorities."

Second quarter 2015 results show a more steady market, with 573 aircraft shipped against 592 for the same period in 2014.

Among the big movers for the quarter were the Cessna C172SP, of which 47 airframes were shipped against 30 in 2014, and the 29 shipments recorded for the Cessna Caravan against 18 last year.

Mooney International also returned to the score sheet with four Acclaims delivered.

The biggest drop for Q2 came from the Diamond DA40. Last year, 49 of the four-place single were shipped, a stark contrast with only 18 reported to GAMA for 2015. However, Diamond scored highly with the DA42, recording a 66% increase over 2014.

Major Aircraft Shipments