Piper Aircraft has credited demand for its M600 turbo-prop for a strong opening to the 2017 sales year.
Deliveries of Piper aircraft for the first quarter of 2017 increased more than 13% to 25, up from 22 for the same period in 2016. Most significantly, new aircraft revenue grew more than 60% to $23,383,514, reflecting strong demand for higher-ticket products.
"Piper's performance in the first quarter of 2017 gives us a good start on the year and is an encouraging indicator of demand for Piper products," said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott. "It also continues the upward trend that we saw in 2016,"
In the first quarter of 2017 Piper delivered 19 trainers, a combination of 11 Archers, four Arrows and four Seminoles, which Caldecott attributes to the company's focus on the training market.
"The continued growth in trainer sales comes as a result of our commitment to provide the pilot training industry with a family of training aircraft and the latest in avionics and training technology," he said.
"While M-class deliveries, in total, were level with last year, the addition of the M600 drove revenue up significantly. We expect M600 sales growth during 2017 as aircraft demonstration tours continue and international type certifications are achieved."
Piper delivered four M500/600 and two M350 aircraft in Q1 2017 compared with two and four respectively for the same period last year.