Aug. 05--General aviation manufacturers delivered 567 planes in the second quarter, compared to 513 for the same time a year ago, according to data released Monday from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Billings for the quarter totaled $5.72 billion, compared to $4.74 billion a year ago.
Wichita planemakers delivered 162 planes during April, May and June, compared to 146 in the same period a year ago.
Cessna Aircraft shipped 113 aircraft during the quarter, while Beechcraft delivered 45 commercial turboprops and single-engine aircraft, and Bombardier delivered four Learjet 60XRx jets from its Wichita plant.
Worldwide, manufacturers delivered 273 piston planes, 140 turboprops and 154 business jets aircraft during the second quarter. Of those, 456 went to customers in North America, followed by 17 to South America, 83 to Europe and 11 to customers in the rest of the world.
For the first six months of 2013, planemakers delivered 1,014 planes, up 9 percent from 931 planes in the first half of 2012.
Billings for the first half of the year totaled $10.4 billion, up 26 percent from $8.2 billion in same time a year ago. It's the first time since 2008 that revenue exceeded $10 billion in the first six months of the year.
"We are encouraged to see a strong increase in billings this quarter, but the mixed results in shipments -- and the differences in performance among sectors -- demonstrate that GA airplane manufacturers still face some strong headwinds as the global economy recovers," GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce said in a statement. "That's why we continue to engage lawmakers and regulators across the globe to improve certification processes and to facilitate the introduction of new, safety-enhancing products to market at a reasonable cost."
GAMA is pleased that the Small Airplane Revitalization Act passed the U.S. House unanimously last month and is moving swiftly through the U.S. Senate, Bunce said.
"We look forward to seeing this bill become law and continuing our work with officials around the world to enhance safety and hasten our industry's recovery," he said.
Reach Molly McMillin at 316-269-6708 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @mmcmillin.
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