Any EuroGA forumites around? So far I met with Textron, GD, Rockwell, BBD and Embraer. They were all neutral to rather depressed.
They were all neutral to rather depressed.
They aren’t selling a lot right now and what they sell doesn’t work as it should. Our company was supposed to get two factory new aeroplanes this May (which is now ), but both have recently been delayed to some unspecific date in “late fall” due to manufacturing and certification problems. The first pilots just came back from their type rating course and will need to get paid for sitting around the next half year. Lots of work to come for the lawyers.
I think oil prices have had quite an impact with a combination of decreasing wealth in Russia and the Middle East and older, less efficient aircraft, becoming cheaper to run.
Funny that… today I read a report in some rag that UK bizjet movements are 10% up over last year (or maybe 2014 v. 2013?) and most of that is at Luton, Biggin, and some I don’t recall.
I think the really seriously wealthy Russians will always be seriously wealthy.
Eurocontrol is saying that there is 0 growth in Europe in business aviation, and specifically movements to/from Russia are noticeably decreasing.
I think oil prices have had quite an impact…
Oil is still cheaper now than it used to be one year ago. But fuel makes up for less than 20% of the operation cost of a bizjet (a bit more for a piston driven plane) so a few percent up or down in oil price has very little effect on the cost of flying.
Eurocontrol is saying that there is 0 growth in Europe…
Which would be a good result. With totally saturated markets (every household around here has two cars, three flatscreen TVs, fife or six smartphones, …. just saw an advert that for every Samsung TV you get a smartphone for free, this is textbook “deflation”) I expect a yearly decrease in business flights for at least the next decade. I think that only two out of three bizjet operators will survive the next five years, dumping pre-owned aircraft on the market at incredible bargain prices as a consequence. The manufacturers on the other hand have nothing new to offer (all they do is add a “+” to their type designator by installing a different brand of avionics) since many years. No wonder they don’t sell more than two or three new aircraft every year.
I think the really seriously wealthy Russians will always be seriously wealthy.
Maybe, but there aren’t enough of them to support a whole market alone.
