General aviation sees mixed first-quarter deliveries, billings

A new report showed the first quarter of 2017 was mixed for Wichita’s general aviation aircraft makers Bombardier and Textron Aviation.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s First Quarter 2017 Shipment Report said Bombardier delivered two fewer business jets — including five Wichita-built Learjets — and had lower billings than in the same quarter a year ago.

While Textron Aviation saw fewer total aircraft deliveries, its Cessna unit delivered more airplanes than it did in the first quarter of 2016. Total billings for Textron were down 17 percent in the same period.

Bombardier saw lower shipments across all its business jet models except for its Challenger 650 and Learjet 70/75. In the quarter, Bombardier shipped 29 jets compared with 31 in the first quarter of 2016.

Billings totaled $1 billion in the first quarter of 2017 compared with $1.27 billion in the year-ago quarter.

At Textron Aviation, Cessna Aircraft’s shipments totaled 84, up from 73 aircraft in the first quarter of 2016. The totals include all of Cessna’s piston and turboprop airplanes, as well as business jets. The total number of business jets shipped in the period was 35 compared with 34 a year ago. Jet shipments were highest for its M2, CJ4 and Latitude, the newest of its Citations.

Airplane deliveries at Beechcraft swung lower, however. The subsidiary of Textron Aviation delivered 20 turboprops and pistons in the first quarter of 2016. That was 17 fewer than the 37 airplanes it delivered in the same period last year.

Textron Aviation’s billings were $515.8 million compared with $621.3 million in the first quarter of 2016.

For the general aviation industry as a whole, first-quarter 2017 shipments of pistons, turboprops and jets were up from a year ago nearly 3 percent to 434 aircraft.

Among shipments, manufacturers worldwide delivered 12 more piston airplanes, eight fewer turboprops and eight more business jets, according to the report.

Total billings were $3.6 billion compared with $4 billion in the first quarter of 2016.

“The first quarter shows mixed results for our industry, but with several bright spots,” Pete Bunce, GAMA president and CEO, said in a release announcing the results. “We expect future growth to be driven by the introduction of new products, which underscores just how important it is for the U.S. Congress to pass certification reform legislation to facilitate the future of aviation manufacturing.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2017 at 6:03 AM with the headline "General aviation sees mixed first-quarter deliveries, billings."