The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) last week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh announced airplane shipments and billings among its member companies for the first half of 2007 and the numbers for business aircraft again look good. According to GAMA, shipments of general aviation airplanes totaled 1,883 units in the first half of 2007, a 1.7 percent increase over the same period last year. Billings rose more sharply, to $9.8 billion, an increase of 11.7 percent over the first half of 2006. Turboprop shipments rose 15.2 percent from 158 units in 2006 to 182 units in 2007. The business jet market segment grew by 14.7 percent with an increase in shipments from 414 units in the first half of 2006 to 475 units in the first half of 2007.
“The innovative technologies that our manufacturers are showcasing at premier events like AirVenture have a direct correlation with making flying easier and safer,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA’s president and CEO. “General aviation manufacturers are committed to creating a renewed interest in flying through the introduction of products that will spur more people worldwide to experience the exhilaration of flight.” GAMA is the international trade association representing more than 50 of the worlds leading manufacturers of general aviation aircraft, engines, avionics and related equipment.
