Washington, DC — The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) today published first quarter 2015 aircraft shipment results. The general aviation industry shipped 678 aircraft in the first three months of the year for a total value of $5.3 billion.

"The first-quarter numbers show that, while our industry has been gaining traction over the past few years, we face some renewed headwinds in several regions of the world, including Asia, parts of Europe, and Latin America," said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. "Our industry is focused on regaining momentum, but we need the U.S. Congress to be a strong partner and reauthorize the Export-Import Bank before the June 30 deadline. It is time to stop playing political games with industry jobs. Congress needs to move ahead and pass reauthorization quickly to ensure a level global playing field and provide needed stability in a difficult market."

Total airplane shipments declined from 520 during first quarter 2014 to 441 in first quarter 2015. Airplane billings were down 12.6 percent from last year to $4.5 billion. Rotorcraft shipments declined by 18.3 percent to 188 aircraft delivered in first quarter 2015 while billings were down 17.9 percent to $0.8 billion.