At this year's NBAA show, while attendees search for signs that the industry downturn is finally ending, engine, equipment and avionics manufacturer Honeywell sees at least one more down year in 2011 before the start of a rebound cycle.
The Phoenix, Ariz.-based company released its 19th annual business aviation forecast Sunday and despite the gradual uptick in business net usage over the past year, it predicts deliveries of between 675 and 700 new business jets for this year–the lowest total since 2004–followed by another year of less than 700 deliveries in 2011. "I think the downturn in 2009 demonstrated for all of us that nothing is really firm in an economic calamity as we saw, but that said, we are seeing a lot less volatility in that order book, a lot more stability and more of a sense of continuity," Rob Wilson, Honeywell's president for business and general aviation, told AIN. "I would add that we have yet to see widespread consistent order intake across the entire industry and that is what we are looking for before we start to signal a strong recovery."
