Global business jet deliveries declined 20.4per cent to 644 aircraft in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic weighed on production earlier in the year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association said on Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: A business jet is refuelled using Jet A fuel at the Henderson Executive Airport during the National Business Aviation Association exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. October 21, 2019. REUTERS/David Becker/File PhotoShare this contentREUTERS: Global business jet deliveries declined 20.4per cent to 644 aircraft in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic weighed on production earlier in the year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association said on Wednesday.
While business jet makers like General Dynamics Corp's Gulfstream, Bombardier Inc and Textron saw a rebound in deliveries during the last three months of 2020, the industry does not expect a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels this year.Business aviation has recovered faster from the pandemic than commercial airlines, helped by demand from first-time buyers, leisure travel, and wealthy individuals who are looking for private aircraft during COVID-19 because they seat fewer passengers.
"Behaviors are changing. The buyers are no longer asking the questions that they would have normally asked about the aircraft in terms of performance," said Mike Amalfitano, chief executive of Embraer SA's executive jets division, during an online briefing on the GAMA data.Travel and manufacturing restrictions weighed on industry deliveries, while corporate demand has remained sluggish.