GA Aircraft Shipments Expected to Grow in 2015, Says Aerospace Industries Association
The U.S. aerospace industry is expected to ship more general aviation (GA) aircraft in 2015 than it did in 2014, according to the Aerospace Industries Association's (AIA) 2014 Year-End Review and Forecast.
Shipments of GA aircraft are projected to total 1,691 units in 2014, up 4.7 percent from the 2013 total, AIA wrote in its report, which was released on Dec. 17. The 2014 shipments are expected to have a total value of $11.9 billion.
AIA predicts further growth in 2015, with aircraft shipments anticipated to reach 1,742 units, up 3 percent from 2014's total. The total value of aircraft that will be shipped in 2015 is estimated at $12.7 billion.
Despite this growth, GA shipments remain well below pre-recession levels, which most recently peaked at 3,279 aircraft in 2007.
During the press conference at which the AIA forecast was released, association officials highlighted several "significant achievements" in GA during 2014, including the 50th anniversary of production of Beechcraft's King Air twin turboprop, the public debut of Cessna's mid-size Latitude business jet, and the announcement of two new Gulfstream business jets.
A GA-related priority for AIA in 2015 is obtaining congressional approval to reauthorize and make permanent the Research and Development Tax Credit. This credit expired at the end of 2013 despite "widespread recognition in Congress and in the administration that the R&D tax credit plays a vital role in driving innovation and keeping U.S. products competitive globally," AIA wrote.
