Despite changes at the top and some ups and downs, Piper Aircraft has improved its standing in 2010.
While it was an at times tumultuous year for Piper, with President and CEO Kevin Gould abruptly stepping down mid-year after only a year in the role, a major rethink of the design of its forthcoming PiperJet Altaire light jet, and the commencement of the now cancelled PiperSport LSA marketing agreement, the manufacturer has come out of 2010 on the up.
Showing signs that the takeover of the company by Brunei-based finance firm Imprimis and the ensuing global marketing push is beginning to pay dividends, Piper enjoyed major sales growth in 2010.
160 new Pipers (25 turboprops and 135 piston aircraft) were delivered last year, up more than 75 per cent from the 90 new aircraft delivered in 2009. The new deliveries contributed more than US$120 million in billings, up nearly 38 per cent from US$86 million in the previous year.
In 2010 Piper almost doubled its market share for new aircraft deliveries, from 10.5 per cent in 2009 to 20.1 per cent.
Leading the charge for Piper in 2010 were international sales, with last year marking the first year in recent Piper history where international exports accounted for more than half of the company’s volume by deliveries and dollars.
Piper delivered 47 aircraft to training organisations in Australia, Malaysia, South Korea, Qatar and the US in 2010, with Wagga-based Australian Airline Pilot Academy receiving a new fleet of Warriors and Seminoles with glass cockpits.
For the record, here’s Piper’s 2010 delivery sheet for its various models:
- Warrior III: 23
- Archer III: 21
- Arrow: 4
- Seneca V: 22
- Seminole: 16
- Mirage: 26
- Matrix: 23
- Meridian: 25
The Piper Mirage. (Piper)
