Things might be grim still in the business jet world (see today’s Cessna news), but at least one company in the GA piston world is starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Cirrus Aircraft announced on Wednesday that it is increasing its production rate to six aircraft per week starting immediately. The increased rate follows nearly six months of significantly reduced production rates that averaged about three to four airplanes per week. “We continue to see very encouraging trends in sales activities and interest from sales prospects domestically and around the world,” the company said in a news release. The market has responded well to new upgrades including FIKI and Cirrus Perspective by Garmin avionics across the line, according to Cirrus.
“Clearly, this is an upward move and is indicative of a stronger bias toward growth in aircraft orders,” the company said. Yet Cirrus is not ready to claim that the worst is over. The company will continue to determine output on a month-to-month basis, in response to market fluctuations. The increased production will be covered by increased efficiency, and no laid-off workers are expected to be called back. “Though we remain in a very challenging environment, our hope is that this new rate is the first step and initial indicator of what will become a more substantial trend into the second half of the year and beyond,” the company said.
