Higher jet, turboprop deliveries lift GAMA first-half billings

General aviation manufacturers posted higher aircraft shipments and sharply stronger billings in the first half of 2026, although weaker piston-aircraft deliveries left the industry’s performance uneven across major segments.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association said manufacturers delivered 1,458 aeroplanes worldwide through the second quarter, up 1.7 per cent from 1,433 in the same period of 2025. Aeroplane billings climbed 15.5 per cent to $14.3 billion from $12.4 billion, showing that revenue growth outpaced the modest increase in unit deliveries.

Business jets produced the strongest broad-based gain among fixed-wing categories. Shipments rose 8.2 per cent to 383 aircraft from 354 a year earlier, while turboprop deliveries increased 7.8 per cent to 289 from 268. Piston aeroplane shipments moved in the opposite direction, declining 3.1 per cent to 786 from 811.

Second-quarter figures underlined the divergence. Manufacturers shipped 791 aeroplanes during the three months, slightly below the 801 delivered in the corresponding quarter of 2025. Within that total, piston deliveries fell to 405 from 453, while turboprops increased to 165 from 135 and business jets rose to 221 from 213. Quarterly aeroplane billings reached about $8.25 billion, compared with $7.31 billion a year earlier.

The figures indicate that higher-value turbine aircraft are carrying a growing share of the industry’s financial performance. The rise in business-jet and turboprop shipments, combined with higher average aircraft values and product mix, helped push billings considerably faster than overall unit volumes.

Manufacturer data also showed differing performances across the market. Cirrus Aircraft delivered 405 aircraft in the first six months, up from 350 a year earlier, making it the largest producer by unit volume in the GAMA data. Textron Aviation delivered 333 piston, turboprop and business aircraft, compared with 300 in the first half of 2025.

Gulfstream Aerospace delivered 79 business jets during the half, compared with 74 a year earlier. Its second-quarter total reached 41 aircraft, including 35 large-cabin and six mid-cabin jets, against 38 aircraft in the same quarter of 2025. Embraer delivered 74 executive jets in the first half, while Bombardier recorded 56.

The turboprop category was supported by stronger multi-engine deliveries. GAMA data showed 45 multi-engine turboprops delivered during the first six months, more than double the 22 recorded a year earlier. Single-engine turboprop shipments were broadly flat at 244 compared with 246, leaving the category’s overall improvement concentrated in twin-engine models.

Piston-aircraft weakness was centred on single-engine products. Deliveries fell to 709 aircraft from 732 in the first half of 2025, while multi-engine piston shipments were little changed at 77 compared with 78. The decline contrasted with the gains recorded by higher-value turbine categories.

Rotorcraft provided a steadier picture. Piston-helicopter shipments increased 5.8 per cent to 110 units from 104, while turbine-helicopter deliveries rose 3.3 per cent to 309 from 299. Total helicopter shipments reached 419, up 4 per cent from 403, and civil-commercial helicopter billings increased 7.2 per cent to $2.2 billion from $2 billion.

GAMA’s latest figures cover aircraft reported by member manufacturers and provide one of the industry’s main measures of factory shipments and associated billings. They reflect deliveries rather than orders, meaning they track aircraft handed over during the reporting period rather than future demand recorded in manufacturers’ backlogs.

The first-quarter baseline helps explain the acceleration in value during the second quarter. GAMA recorded 667 aeroplane shipments and about $6.07 billion in billings during the opening three months of 2026. The second quarter therefore accounted for 791 deliveries and roughly $8.25 billion in billings. That combination meant unit shipments rose from the first quarter even as the year-on-year quarterly total edged lower. The mix also shifted towards more expensive turbine aircraft, business jets and multi-engine turboprops, which contributed disproportionately to the rise in the value of deliveries across the six-month period.