Sales of aircraft avionics and related equipment were down for a second year in a row, says the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) in their annual market report. Sales totaled $2.26 billion in 2016, down 6.4% from $2.42 billion the prior year. The market for forward-fit avionics—sales of equipment destined for newly manufactured aircraft—slid 9.4%, fairing slightly better than the market for aircraft as a whole. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported last month that total billings for new aircraft sales were down 14.1% in 2016.
The fraction of avionics destined for existing aircraft has been on the rise since the AEA first started collecting data in 2013. Retrofit sales now account for 49.4% of all avionics sold, up from 45.9% in 2013. That trend is likely to continue, powered by the combined forces of shrinking sales of new aircraft, mandatory ADS-B compliance costs and the increasing practical necessity of Performance Based Navigation equipment.
