All-Time High For Billings; Shipments Up Over 20 Percent From '04

For weeks, Aero-News has reported on 2005 sales figures for a variety of general aviation manufacturers. From Cessna to Mooney, from Cirrus to Columbia -- and a variety of others -- all the news boiled down to essentially the same message: after years of sluggish sales, 2005 was a VERY good year for the world of general aviation.

It comes as no surprise, then, that Monday the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reported a record year in 2005 for general aviation manufacturers (but it's still great to hear officially.)

GAMA reports the general aviation industry reached an all-time high for billings in 2005, totalling $15.1 billion -- a 27.2 percent increase over 2004. Year-end, worldwide shipments of general aviation airplanes totaled 3,580 units for 2005, up 20.8 percent over the previous year’s total of 2,963 units.

The announcement was made at GAMA’s Annual Industry Review & 2006 Market Outlook Briefing by the Chairman, President, and CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company -- and current GAMA Chairman -- Jack Pelton (who also made some poignant and forceful remarks countering the so-called need for user fees), along with GAMA President & CEO Peter Bunce.

"The outstanding 2005 shipment and billing figures demonstrate that general aviation is one of the brightest and most promising sectors of manufacturing," said Pete Bunce (below, to the right of Cessna's Jack Pelton).

All sectors of general aviation manufacturing experienced healthy growth in 2005. Piston airplane shipments experienced a 20.2 percent increase over the previous year. Total units increased from 2,051 in 2004 to 2,465 airplanes in 2005. Shipments of turboprops increased by 13.7 percent, up from 321 units in 2004 to 365 units in 2005. Additionally, business jet shipments increased by 159 units to a total of 750 airplanes.

That's a 26.9 percent increase in shipments over 2004 (see below).

"Our growth shows that general aviation continues to have a dramatic impact on the way the world does business," said Bunce.

"As the worldwide economy expands and becomes evermore interdependent, general aviation will play an ever increasing role in making business soar."

To that, all we can say is... YEAH!

FMI: www.gama.aero