Retrofit Market Accounts For 56 Percent Of Total Sales In The Period

The Aircraft Electronics Association has released its second-quarter 2017 Avionics Market Report. In the first six months of the year, total worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales amounted to $1,144,973,499.06, or more than $1.14 billion as reported by the participating companies.

The figure represented a 2.7 percent increase in year-over-year sales compared to the first six months of 2016 amount of $1,115,259,960.19.

Sales during the second-quarter months of April, May and June in 2017 were $578,793,718.45, a 5.4 percent increase compared to the 2016 second-quarter sales of $549,161,254.23.

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 $1.14 billion in sales during the first six months of 2017, 56.2 percent came from the retrofit market (avionics equipment installed after original production), while forward-fit sales (avionics equipment installed by airframe manufacturers during original production) amounted to 43.8 percent of sales.

According to the companies that separated their total sales figures between North America (U.S. and Canada) and other international markets, 70.6 percent of sales in the first six months of 2017 occurred in North America (U.S. and Canada), while 29.4 percent took place in other international markets.

"It's encouraging to see a positive increase in year-over-year sales for two straight quarters, something we haven't experienced since 2014," said AEA President Paula Derks. "The retrofit market has seen the biggest growth in sales with a 26.3 percent increase compared to a year ago, which has helped offset a decline of 17.3 percent in forward-fit sales from this time in 2016."

(Source: AEA news release)

FMI: www.aea.net/marketreport