For the seventh straight quarter, total deliveries of business jets and turboprops declined year-to-year, according to the second-quarter statistics released last month by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). However, industry billings, which totaled $9.4 billion, rose by a modest 0.2 percent, the second straight quarter showing an increase.
“The large end of the business jet segment fared best in the first half of 2010, resulting in an increase in total billings for the industry,” GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce told AIN. “More and more companies are conducting business on a global level. This has continued to spur the delivery of larger business jets that can efficiently and quickly travel the distances necessary to take advantage of new market opportunities.” Bunce said this trend was especially true for the Middle East and Asia, which have generally fared better in the recession than other parts of the world. Additionally, he said, this segment of the market is less exposed to the negative effects resulting from contraction in the fractional business and it tends to rely less on third-party financing.
