French manufacturer Daher says it is experiencing very strong demand for its TBM 980 single-engine turbo-prop only six months after the model was first released, pointing to a calendar-year delivery record.
According to Daher, it has delivered 30 of the new type to customers and has an order book extending into 2027. The company expects to deliver 60 new aircraft to customers before the close of 2026.
If TBM reaches that target, it will set a new calendar year delivery record for the fast six-seater. Daher delivered 51 TBMs last year against a 13-year record of 57 set in 2017.
The TBM 980 superseded the TBM 960 earlier this year, offering upgraded Garmin avionics.
"The TBM's success has always been built on purposeful innovation," said Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of Daher Aircraft. "The exceptional response to the TBM 980 – including the confidence shown by existing TBM owners – demonstrates how our strategy continues to resonate with customers around the world.
"Each new version incorporates improvements while preserving the qualities that make our TBM the benchmark in its category."
Significantly, 50% of the demand for the TBM 980 comes from existing customers upgrading to the new model, which features 14" Garmin 3000 avionics and a Pratt and Whitney PT6E-66XT FADEC turbine driving a five-blade Hartzell composite propeller.
Daher is also reporting a very robust market for pre-owned TBMs. Of the 218 TBM 960 versions delivered, only three are currently for sale. Similarly, just four of the previous TBM 940 are on the market from a production run of 124.
Socata and Mooney originally developed the TBM jointly, but Mooney withdrew before the aircraft reached the market in 1990. Since then, more than 1300 of all versions have been built. Daher adopted the TBM after first buying a controlling stake in Socata in 2009.
-Steve Hitchen