By Dayna Fedy-MacDonald | October 14, 2022 Estimated reading time 6 minutes, 16 seconds.
Heading into the National Business Aviation Association’s annual convention and exhibition — to be held Oct. 18 to 20 in Orlando, Florida — Pilatus has confirmed that its PC-12 NGX and PC-24 aircraft are in “very high demand,” despite global economic challenges.
In its Q2 2022 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported that Pilatus had delivered 34 PC-12s and 19 PC-24s in the first half of the year. The OEM recently reported that by the end of September 2022, those numbers increased to 47 PC-12 NGX and 27 PC-24 deliveries. Noteworthy deliveries this year included those to U.S.-based charter operator, PlaneSense, and European fractional ownership company, Jetfly.
The Swiss manufacturer noted that of the total aircraft delivered, around 62 percent were completed by its U.S. subsidiary in Broomfield, Colorado, known as Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd. Thanks to the popularity of the PC-12 NGX and PC-24, as well as the expansion of facilities to include paint services, the Broomfield location created more than 25 new jobs in 2022.
“We are very fortunate to have both the PC-12 and PC-24 in such high demand,” said Markus Bucher, CEO of Pilatus. “Despite the current high inflationary environment, the rising cost of energy in Europe, and the forecast economic recession, our global sales network remains optimistic that the very high demand for our unique aircraft will weather the storm.”
Bucher acknowledged that there are still challenges with producing aircraft in the current economic environment, and noted that Pilatus is “not immune” to supply chain difficulties when it comes to the components required to keep production running and customers flying. He said the company’s top priority “is taking care of current owners and those who have already placed orders.”
In the October/November issue of Skies, contributor Frederick Larkin noted that the OEM’s strategy is to build just shy of the number of aircraft demanded each year. Such a strategy allows Pilatus to avoid major fluctuations in its production cycle and maintain healthy residual values for in-service aircraft.
As a result, someone looking to purchase a brand-new PC-12 NGX, that is designed to their own specifications, could wait two to three years to receive the aircraft, according to Tom Aniello, VP of marketing at Pilatus Business Aircraft.
Regarding high demand for the PC-12 NGX, Pilatus said some of that demand is thanks to existing PC-12 customers wanting to upgrade to the new NGX version “to take advantage of new engine and avionics technology, as well as the completely new interiors.”
The influx of first-time corporate aircraft buyers during the pandemic is another contributing factor to the demand for the type, according to Stan Kuliavas, VP of sales at Levaero Aviation — the exclusive Canadian distributor for the PC-12 and PC-24.
The PC-12 has proven to be quite popular in Canada, specifically, with just over 100 currently operating within the country.
“We are still experiencing record low PC-12 inventory numbers, hovering in the one percent to two percent range of the total in-service fleet,” said Kuliavas in a recent interview with Skies.
From the inception of the PC-12 program through to the third quarter of 2022, Pilatus said it has delivered 1,920 of the type, which have accumulated more than 10 million flight hours.
Pilatus announced that it will achieve a major milestone in the spring of 2023, with the delivery of the 2000th PC-12. The aircraft will go to PlaneSense, which operates the largest Pilatus fleet in the world.
As for the PC-24, Pilatus is gearing up to deliver the 200th aircraft next spring. “That is a milestone worth mentioning in this still-young program,” the company said.
The PC-24 received FAA and EASA type certification in December 2017, and was delivered to its inaugural customer, PlaneSense, on Feb. 8, 2018.
The type made its way into Canada less than a year later. Shortly after the aircraft received Transport Canada type certification in late June 2019, Levaero Aviation delivered the very first Canadian-registered PC-24 Super Versatile Jet to Montreal-based Starlink Aviation.
Since 2017, the global fleet has accumulated 116,000 flight hours.
