Most of the major business airplane manufacturers believe that the growing inconvenience for business travelers on the airlines as a result of increased security after September 11 bodes well for the health of the industry in the mid- and far term. Fractional-ownership programs will benefit particularly, according to most manufacturers, but not before the weakening economy recovers and the aftermath takes its toll, including layoffs, declining orders for some models and production adjustments by most manufacturers.
While all the companies said they are optimistic about the future, the one-two blast of an economic downturn coupled with the September 11 aftermath is being weathered better by some companies than others. For example, the nationwide grounding of general aviation VFR operations prevented Piper, among other manufacturers, from conducting production flight test on finished airplanes. But the company kept manufacturing them, apparently assuming the restrictions would be lifted quickly. Soon, Piper had more than 20 finished airplanes on its ramp, according to marketing manager Mark Miller.
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