Quarterly reports from the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) have come to rival reports from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) as a barometer of GA fortunes. As avionics retrofits have flourished and forward-fit numbers also serve to measure new-aircraft deliveries, AEA’s sales numbers have served as an accurate reflection of the state of the industry.
For the second quarter of what we still hope is a “post-pandemic” year, both forward-fit and retrofit sales lagged behind the same time frame for last year. Forward-fit numbers were down 10.5 percent to $282.5 million while retrofit numbers lagged by 4.1 percent to $218.4 million for an overall year-over-year dip of 7.1 percent. Still, year-to-date sales remain in excess of $1 billion.
AEA President and CEO Mike Adamson said, “The avionics industry is still facing some headwinds with various supply chain issues and global travel restrictions. With new products and services entering the market, the resounding success of recent trade shows and resilient consumers, there are still positive signs for general aviation to continue its climb.”
