Business Aviation Recovery: GAMA Second Quarter 2021 Results

The business aviation recovery continued in the second quarter of 2021, with deliveries up compared to the first quarter, but remaining behind pre-pandemic levels.  While demand for business travel has risen during the pandemic and manufacturers are receiving new orders, the lead times for production and completion of business aircraft means that we will not see those effects until later in the year and 2022.

The following chart summarizes GAMA data on business aircraft deliveries in the first and second quarters of 2021 combined.  Year to date, the industry has delivered 264 business jets, just under 80% of the pre-pandemic level in 2019.  Single-engine turboprops have fully recovered and deliveries are 4% higher than pre-pandemic levels. In terms of overall billings, the industry has recovered to 87.4% of pre-pandemic levels.  Helicopter shipments remain lower than pre-pandemic levels at 82.4% of 2019 levels, but at 92.1% of billings.