Business jet deliveries hit decade high in 2019, helped by new models

Author: Agencies

Business jet deliveries across the globe hit a decade high in 2019, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) said on Wednesday, helped by strong market demand for new models.

Deliveries rose 15% from 703 to 809 jets, the highest level since 2009, GAMA said in its 2019 year-end aircraft billing and shipment numbers.

Business jet deliveries are being underpinned by the ramp-up of new models by manufacturers like Bombardier Inc <BBDb.TO> and General Dynamics Corp <GD.N> unit Gulfstream Aerospace that offer longer ranges and amenities such as beds and hot showers at 40,000 feet.

Honeywell Aerospace’s <HON.N> business aviation outlook from last year expects a 7% rise in deliveries in 2020.

Business jet executives who are bringing new planes to market defended the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s certification process, which has come under fire following the March global grounding of Boeing’s <BA.N> 737 MAX jet.

Crtics have said the FAA’s long-standing practice of delegating “a high level” of certification tasks to manufacturers like Boeing needs significant reforms to ensure adequate safety oversight. In 2019, a global panel pointed to the FAA’s review of a MAX safety system that was later tied to two crashes that killed 346 people.