First Quarter Avionics Sales Drop

Worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales brought in more than $660 million in the first quarter (Q1) of 2020, according to the Avionics Market Report recently released by the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA). This marks a decreased of 8.8 percent from the first three months of last year. AEA noted that the drop follows 12 consecutive quarters with a reported increase in year-over-year sales.

“With the passing of the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline to equip aircraft with ADS-B Out avionics in the United States, the end to 12 consecutive quarters of sales growth may not come as a surprise," said AEA CEO Mike Adamson. “We also don’t yet know the full extent and global impact of the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic near the end of the first quarter and how it will weigh on the industry and our market figures going forward.”

The retrofit market made up 52.3 percent of 2020 Q1 avionics sales with the remaining 47.7 percent coming from forward-fit sales. Total retrofit sales for the quarter amounted to $345.65 million, 10.9 percent lower than Q1 2019’s $388.08 million. Forward-fit sales decreased 6.3 percent from $336.08 million in the first quarter of 2019 to $314.78 million over the same period this year. For companies that separated sales figures by country, the U.S. and Canadian markets made up 75.2 percent of their total worldwide sales.