According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s 2020 year-end general aviation aircraft billings and shipments report, aircraft deliveries reached a value of $22.8 billion in 2020, a decrease compared with $27.8 billion in 2019. Piston airplane deliveries were steady, while turboprop, business jet and helicopter deliveries declined compared with 2019.

“As expected, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted general aviation and stifled the industry’s growth. While we continue to face headwinds globally, all signs point to strong demand for our products and services that are unfortunately being constrained by pandemic-induced supply chain limitations and a vast array of disjointed barriers to air travel across national borders. As we progress through the recovery process, our member companies have made the health and safety of their employees and that of their suppliers an overarching priority and rigorously support economic policies that preserve our skilled aerospace workforce,” Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, said. “It is encouraging to see that segments of our industry saw a solid rebound in the fourth quarter of 2020. In 2021, it will be important for the general aviation industry to work together with our commercial sector colleagues to keep our interlinked but very fragile supply chain secure while continuing to engage global regulatory authorities to leverage their mutually recognized safety competencies to keep pace with accelerating technological innovations that improve aviation safety and environmental sustainability and facilitate industry recovery.”

For airplane shipments in 2020, when compared with 2019, piston airplane deliveries declined 0.9%, with 1,312 units; turboprop airplane deliveries declined 15.6%, with 443 units; and business jet deliveries declined 20.4%, with 644 units. The value of airplane deliveries for 2020 was $20 billion, a decline of approximately 14.8%.

Preliminary civil-commercial turbine helicopter deliveries for 2020, when compared with 2019, declined approximately 16.9%, with 532 units; and piston helicopter deliveries declined 20.7%, with 142 units.

The piston engine airplane market in North America accounted for 67.9% of overall shipments. The second largest market for piston airplanes for the sixth year in a row was the Asia-Pacific market at 17.4%. Turboprop airplane shipments to North American customers accounted for 54.9% of the global deliveries. The second largest market for turboprop airplane deliveries was Europe at 14.4%. The North American market accounted for 66% of business jet deliveries. The second largest market for business jet deliveries during the year was Europe at 16.7%.

Year-End Aircraft Shipments and Billings