By Skies Magazine | September 1, 2021 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 24 seconds.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) on Sept. 1 released its report of general aviation aircraft shipments and billings for the first half of 2021. According to the report, turboprop, piston, business jet, and helicopter deliveries increased across all segments during the first half of this year — compared to the same period of 2020.
Turboprop aircraft, on a global scale, saw the greatest increase in deliveries with 221 units, compared to 152 units in the first two quarters of 2020 — a 45.4 percent increase. Piston airplane deliveries increased 12.3 percent, with 565 units, and bizjet deliveries increased 8.2 percent, with 264 units.
“Through the first six months of 2021, we can see that the industry continues to progress in its recovery efforts,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “While it is encouraging to see segments improve from 2020, we still trail when compared to how the industry was faring before the onset of the pandemic. Efforts to address ongoing supply chain issues, strengthen our workforce, and enhance environmental sustainability will continue to be at the forefront as interest and demand for aircraft remains robust.”
Worldwide airplane deliveries in the first half of 2021 were valued at $8.6 billion, which is an increase of roughly 9.4 percent over last year. With a grand total of 1,055 airplane shipments reported (across all general aviation segments), the overwhelming majority of those aircraft went to customers in North America — 708 total units, to be exact.
GAMA’s report shows that Textron Aviation and Cirrus Aircraft were leaders in the market in the first six months of 2021, with 223 and 195 total units delivered, respectively. For Textron, the Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP was the OEM’s most popular type, with 74 deliveries. With 223 total aircraft delivered across Textron’s fleet, total billings for the company were $1.3 billion, according to GAMA’s report.
The Cirrus SR22T was most popular for Cirrus Aircraft, making up 96 of the 195 total deliveries.
Bombardier delivered 55 total units in the first half of the year, which translated to $2.75 billion in total billings.
On the helicopter side, “turbine helicopter deliveries through the second quarter of 2021, when compared to the same period in 2020, saw an increase of 33 percent, with 258 units; and piston helicopter deliveries saw an increase of 31.7 percent, with 83 units,” the report reads. Robinson Helicopter Company and Airbus Helicopters had the most deliveries among the rotorcraft OEMs, with 119 and 106 total units, respectively.
For an in-depth breakdown of deliveries by OEM and aircraft type, click here.
