May 10--General aviation manufacturers delivered 458 planes in the first three months of 2013, a 10 percent increase compared to 418 for the same time a year ago.
Wichita planemakers delivered 32 percent of all aircraft shipped in the first quarter.
Billings for the quarter totaled $4.6 billion, up 32 percent compared to $3.5 billion a year ago.
"We are very pleased to see a shift to the positive for GA airplanes, which extends across all airplane segments, for the first quarter of 2013, Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, said in a statement.
The figures were released by GAMA on Thursday.
Wichita planemakers Cessna Aircraft, Bombardier Learjet and Beechcraft Corp. shipped 146 planes, equal to deliveries in the first quarter of 2012.
Cessna delivered 87 planes in the quarter, compared to 109 for the same time a year ago.
Bombardier Aerospace delivered three Wichita-built Learjets, compared to five a year ago.
And Beechcraft delivered 56 planes, up from 32 a year ago.
Beechcraft deliveries included Bonanza, Baron and King Airs and six of the final Hawker 4000 jet deliveries. The company, the former Hawker Beechcraft, delivered 32 planes in the first quarter of 2012, including six jets.
The company emerged from bankruptcy in February and reorganized as Beechcraft Corp. It has shuttered its line of business jets.
Planemakers worldwide delivered 193 piston-powered airplanes in the quarter, up 4 percent from 186 a year ago.
They delivered 102 single-engine turboprops, up 15 percent from a year ago, and 34 multi-engine turboprops, up 79 percent.
Business jet deliveries totaled 129, up 4 percent from 124 a year ago.
Contact Molly McMillin at 316-269-6708 or [email protected].
Copyright 2013 - The Wichita Eagle
