--
May 03--Aircraft deliveries at Hawkere Beechcraft were higher in the first quarter, but so were operating income losses, the company reported.
The airplane manufacturer said it delivered 45 airplanes in the first quarter compared with 34 in the same quarter a year ago.
But net sales were down by $9.8 million and the company posted a $37.9 million operating income loss. That's largely from the company's business and general aviation segments, officials said during a conference call today with analysts.
Hawker chairman and CEO Bill Boisture said in the conference call that the company saw year-over-year gains in its aircraft trainer business and in global customer support, which includes sales of spare parts for the company's fleet of aircraft.
Sales in the trainer/attack segment were up by $34.2 million to $176.6 million compared with the first quarter of 2010. That segment was bolstered in part by orders the company took in 2009, Boisture said.
Customer support sales increased $3.9 million to $119.6 million in the quarter. That segment benefited partly from an expansion of international service centers, he said.
Boisture said the market for business and general aviation market remains tough.
"We're beginning to see some stability in these key market indicators," he said. "We're cautiously optimistic that a recovery will begin in 2012, in line with most industry forecasts."
