AERO - International Trade Exhibition for General Aviation 2014

Industry meeting kicks off the global aviation show AERO in Friedrichshafen – Business jet manufacturer Cessna reports sales record in Germany

According to these figures, the general aviation market continues to stagnate; the economic crisis has also impacted these companies. Thus, the number of aircraft delivered worldwide in 2012 was just 2133, a tiny 0.6% above the previous year. For comparison, Pletschacher referenced a figure from 2007, the last year before the crisis: that year, 4277 aircraft were delivered worldwide. However, at least helicopter manufacturers are bucking this trend: In 2012, 1044 helicopters of all classes were delivered, amounting to a 21 percent increase over the previous year. According to Pletschacher, because the average age of aircraft currently in use is an extremely high 37 years, in the event of a global economic recovery, high demand with a backlog of aircraft orders can be expected. Overall, general aviation companies recorded sales of 18.8 billion US dollars in 2012.