GA decline slowing – GAMA – Australian Aviation

The rate of decline in GA shipments has slowed. (Cessna)

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has announced that deliveries of GA and business aircraft during the first quarter of 2010 were down by 15 per cent, which was significantly better than the decline experienced during the same time last year.

For the three months, deliveries of pistons, turboprops and business jets were all lower, but industry billings increased by 7.1 per cent to US$4.64bn (A$5.14bn). This was attributed to international deliveries of long range, large cabin business jets.

GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce welcomed the data as a sign that the market may be stabilising. “Reported flight activity from the FAA and EUROCONTROL is on an upward trend and the used aircraft inventory is slowly decreasing. However, these first quarter figures reveal that our industry is far from a recovery,” he said.