Total Sales Exceed $1.1 Billion In First Six Months Of 2015

The Aircraft Electronics Association has released its second-quarter 2015 Avionics Market Report.

In the first six months of the year, total worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales amounted to $1,192,619,894.32, or more than $1.1 billion as reported by the participating companies.

Sales during the second-quarter months of April, May and June rose 3.1 percent compared to the first three months of the year; however, the report indicated an 8.5 percent decrease in year-over-year sales compared to the first six months of 2014 amount of $1,303,876,048.80, or more than $1.3 billion.

The dollar amount reported (using net sales price, not manufacturer's suggested retail price) includes: all business and general aviation aircraft electronic sales -- including all component and accessories in cockpit/cabin/software upgrades/portables/certified and noncertified aircraft electronics; all hardware (tip to tail); batteries; and chargeable product upgrades from the participating manufacturers. The amount does not include repairs and overhauls, extended warranty or subscription services.

Of the more than $1.1 billion in sales during the first six months of 2015, 52.3 percent came from forward-fit (avionics equipment installed by airframe manufacturers during original production) sales, or more than $624 million. The retrofit (avionics equipment installed after original production) market amounted to 47.7 percent of sales during the first six months of the current year, or more than $568 million.

According to the companies that separated their total sales figures between North America (U.S. and Canada) and other international markets, 64.5 percent of sales in the first six months occurred in North America (U.S. and Canada), while 35.5 percent took place in other international markets.

"While there was a general improvement of 3.1 percent in the second quarter when compared to the first three months of the year, a decrease in year-over-year sales may indicate that the industry is facing some economic challenges," said AEA President Paula Derks. "The report also shows that a significant portion of the year-over-year decline in sales dollars is taking place in international markets outside the U.S. and Canada, and perhaps the strength of the U.S. dollar is having an impact on sales in those regions. This is certainly an area of the report to pay close attention to in the coming quarters."

FMI: www.aea.net/marketreport