Aircraft shipments from plane makers remain higher through the first nine months of 2022 compared to last year; however, many segments saw a slight cooling in the third quarter compared to the first two quarters.
The numbers come from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), which published its quarterly general aviation report on Thursday. The report also shows that the overall value of aircraft shipments has risen year to year for the first three quarters of 2022.
“Demand for general aviation aircraft remains hardy as our industry continues to strategically navigate ongoing challenges, which include issues with supply chain and workforce shortages within our industry and within global regulatory authorities,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said in a statement. “Deliveries are converging on, and in some cases surpassing, the levels we were experiencing prior to the pandemic, which is a testament to the strength of our industry and the importance and utility of general and business aviation.”
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1,012 piston aircraft have been delivered in 2022 through September, according to the report, an 8.8% uptick from last year. Turboprop deliveries rose 7.3% (383 delivered), and business jets increased by 1.8%, with 446 delivered.
In all, the total number of airplanes delivered was 1,841 through the first three quarters, up 6.7% from last year, with billings totaling $14.1 billion, up 4.8% from 2021.
Total helicopter deliveries for the first nine months of the year were 576, up 6.3% from last year, with billings of $2.6 billion, a 5.3% jump.
Breaking the movements down further, the third quarter was the best so far worldwide for single-piston aircraft shipments, with 344 delivered, 4.5% higher than in the second quarter of 2022.
All other airplane segments worldwide were off slightly from Q2 delivery numbers, according to the GAMA data. Global shipments of piston and turbine helicopters for Q3 outpaced each of the first two quarters of 2022.
The U.S. saw similar trends comparing Q3 and Q2; however, domestic deliveries of multi-engine turboprops and business jets (116 vs. 111 for jets) were slightly higher for the most recent quarter.
“As we look to the future, we must focus attention on the need for training of the regulator workforce and leveraging of bi-lateral safety agreements between regulatory bodies to improve both certification and validation processes,” Bunce said. “At the same time our industry will continue to foster the momentum we have created on addressing environmental issues, which includes advancing technology that improves efficiencies of aircraft and operations; supporting the production, distribution and uptake of SAF; and further developing hydrogen, electric and hybrid propulsion, all of which are important to meeting our business aviation commitment of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
The full report can be found here.
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