Business Jets and Piston Planes Both Saw Drastic Year-Over-Year Improvement

The recently published Second Quarter 2025 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report, compiled by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), shows a solid uptick in shipments for the first half of this year compared to last. Business jets and piston airplanes both stood out, though helicopters and turboprops weren’t quite so promising.

Piston airplanes rose 5.1 percent to 810 units through June. Business jets saw an even sharper increase, up 9.9 percent to 354 aircraft. Turboprop shipments moved the other way, falling 4.3 percent to 268 units. Altogether, fixed-wing deliveries reached 1,432 aircraft, up from 1,373 in the first six months of 2024. The value of airplane shipments climbed nearly 10 percent to $12.3 billion.

Helicopters saw minor decreases in unit shipments. Piston helicopters dropped by one unit year-over-year to 106, and turbine helicopters decreased 2.3 percent to 302. Total rotorcraft deliveries stood at 408, down 1.9 percent. Billings told a different story, with the value of civil-commercial helicopter shipments surging more than 20 percent to $2 billion.

Cirrus and Textron led the way in fixed-wing deliveries. Cirrus reported 350 shipments, followed by Textron with 300 across its piston and turboprop lines. Among helicopter makers, Airbus Helicopters took the top spot with 132 deliveries, followed closely by Robinson at 129 and Leonardo at 70.

The delivery results line up with broader market conditions. A biz-focused second-quarter analysis showed that business aviation flight operations increased 3.1 percent year-over-year. OEM backlogs rose 8.4 percent, reaching $55.5 billion by midyear. Transaction activity gained momentum as well, while aircraft availability held at 7.3 percent of the global fleet. That figure remains slightly below long-term averages.

The first half of 2025 has so far confirmed a growth trend for general aviation, driven by piston and business jet deliveries and supported by higher billing values across both airplanes and helicopters. Despite some segments falling slightly, the industry outlook remains positive, with strong backlogs and steady operational activity pointing to continued stability ahead.

FMI: www.gama.aero