By: Candace Renalls
Cirrus Aircraft’s airplane shipments were up 25 percent in the second quarter over the the year’s first quarter.
Cirrus Aircraft’s airplane shipments were up 25 percent in the second quarter over the the year’s first quarter.
The Duluth-based light plane manufacturer shipped 60 of its SR-20, SR-22 and SR-22T single piston planes, up from 45 in the first quarter, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association report released last week.
That gave Cirrus 34 percent of the world market share for single engine piston planes. While it continued to be the world leader in its class of small, four-seat aircraft, the 105 total shipments in the first six months of 2012, lags behind the 118 in the first half of 2011.
Meanwhile, shipments of Cirrus’ category of four-seat propeller planes worldwide increased six percent worldwide with billings increasing 13 percent, the data show.
“We are starting to see positive signs in the 2012 shipment data,” said GAMA’s president and CEO Pete Bunce in a statement. “When coupled with the positive trend we are seeing in the used market, we may finally be witnessing the start of our recovery.”
Cessna Circraft Co., Cirrus’ biggest competitor, gained ground by shipping 92 comparable planes in the first six months, up from 69 last year.
With Cirrus shipments so far trailing behind last year, the company may not better last year’s low of 255 planes shipped. The company’s biggest year was 2006 with 721 shipments. That was before the economic recession hit the industry hard. The company — and the industry — have been struggling to recover since then.
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