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Beechcraft Corporation has announced its fourth-quarter and year-end 2013 delivery data. In the fourth quarter, Beechcraft delivered 72 commercial Beechcraft products compared to 48 Beechcraft airplanes in the same period the previous year. Throughout the entire year, the company saw a 64 per cent increase in deliveries with 205 commercial Beechcraft products delivered during 2013 compared to 125 in 2012.
Deliveries of King Air series aircraft rose from 89 in 2012, to 135 in 2013 – a 52 per cent increase year over year. In the piston aircraft segment, which includes the G58 Baron and G36 Bonanza, deliveries rose from 36 in 2012, to 70 in 2013 – a 94 per cent increase year over year. In addition to these commercial aircraft, Beechcraft delivered 34 T-6 military trainers throughout the year.
“The Beechcraft team worked collectively to put this company in a strong position in 2013, which began with a solid first quarter and momentum that continued throughout the year,” said Bill Boisture, CEO. “In addition to the impressive full-year delivery numbers, we saw our highest booking rates in years and had solid revenue from servicing Hawker and Beechcraft aircraft in both the commercial and military segments. It’s safe to call our first year as a standalone company a success.”
Among the 2013 highlights for the new Beechcraft Corporation: the largest general aviation propeller aircraft order in history, valued at up to $1.4 billion to deliver up to 105 King Air 350i aircraft to Wheels Up; 60 million flight hours exceeded on the worldwide fleet of King Air turboprops, by far leading all business aircraft fleets; delivery of the 4,000th Model 36 Bonanza, the longest continuously produced aircraft in history; delivery of the 800th T-6 trainer aircraft; delivery of the first Baron G58 with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities; and the inaugural flight of the first production AT-6 light attack aircraft. The company concluded the year with the announcement that Textron Inc. has agreed to acquire Beechcraft. The transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2014, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals.
