Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft is determined to maintain the leadership position established by the PC-12 in the single-engine turbo-prop (SETP) market despite vigorous challenges by the Daher 900 series and the Piper M500 and M600.
Pilatus delivered 91 PC-12 NG airframes in the 2016 calendar year, a result which leap-frogged Cessna's venerable C208 Caravan series. Shipments of 31 aircraft for the first half of 2017 indicate a softening of the market, but the Pilatus still leads the segment.
Pilatus shipped 19 PC-12s in Q2 2017, but was under serious challenge from the TBM 900 series with 16 and the Piper M500/600 with 15.
According to Pilatus, the ongoing popularity of the PC-12 is the result of versatility, which sees the aircraft used on almost every imaginable operation from corporate transport, charter, aeromedical, personal transport and special missions.
Ignaz Gretener, Vice President of Pilatus' General Aviation business unit also credits the loyalty of existing customers for driving PC-12 sales.
"Much of our sales success today comes from repeat customers and their recommendation of the PC-12 NG to their colleagues," he said at this year's National Business Aviation Association conference in Las Vegas. "We constantly listen to their feedback and have a continuous improvement process in place to ensure we provide them with a reliable and efficient aircraft that they can depend upon for many years of operation."
Whilst 60% of PC-12s are shipped to the USA, Pilatus sees untapped potential in Europe, South American and Asia, and plans to cultivate those markets to help keep the market lead.
"We still see a lot of potential for the PC-12," Gretener said, "and we are excited by new technologies that our engineers and suppliers are offering us in this segment of the market.
"We have every intention of remaining the market leader ..."