Business and general aviation manufacturers reported another quarter of mixed results with the total number of piston, turboprop and business jet deliveries in the second quarter of 2017 edging up 2.6 percent, while billings suffered a 1.2. percent decline, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. GAMA today released the second quarter shipment results, reporting 561 total fixed-wing shipments in the three months ended June 30, compared with 547 shipments in the same period of 2016. Total billings for fixed-wing aircraft in the second quarter of 2017, meanwhile, inched down to $5.311 billion. This compares with $5.376 billion a year earlier.  (GAMA plans to release helicopter results in a separate report.)

For the first half, total deliveries similarly were up 2.7 percent to 995 units, while billings softened 3.4 percent to $9 billion. Despite five fewer shipments in the second quarter, business jet shipments rose 1 percent, to 295, in the first half.

Meanwhile, deliveries of pressurized turboprops fell 9.6 percent year-over-year in the first half, to 104 aircraft. Notably, King Air deliveries plummeted 58.1 percent in the first six months, to 31 units, while Pilatus PC-12 shipments sunk 22.5 percent, to 31 aircraft. But turboprop deliveries at Piper soared 87.5 percent in the first half as it ramped up M600 production. Shipments at Daher also climbed 27.8 percent in the period, to 23.

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According to Argus TrakPak data released yesterday, last month was the busiest July for business aircraft flying since 2009, but the 1.4 percent year-over-year increase was driven by charter and fractional activity. Notably, there was a 9 percent drop in overall activity during the July 4th holiday week, it said. Flight activity missed the company’s forecast for 4.3 percent growth in July, but Argus predicts a 3.3 percent rise this month.

Last month's results were propelled by a 6.7 percent year-over-year increase in Part 135 activity. This was followed by a 1.3 percent rise in fractional flying, while Part 91 activity decreased 2.1 percent.

Large-cabin jets and turboprops posted the largest year-over-year gains, rising 4.1 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, midsize jet flying rose 1.7 percent from last July and light jets declined 1.4 percent.

Double-digit gains in individual sectors were sparse last month, and all were in the charter category. Part 135 midsize and large-cabin jet flying climbed 11 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively, from a year ago. All Part 91 individual categories were in the red, with private light jet flying posting the largest loss, of 3.8 percent.

Argus’s TraqPak data provides “flight-number-specific aircraft arrival and departure information on all IFR flights in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.”