Introduction: 2025 FLYING Buyers Guide

The solid sales record is consistent with the historically strong economy of the last several years and a stock market at all-time highs, even though there was an inflation surge that was expected during a long period of nearly full employment and rising wages. 

Demand for all aircraft remains high with backlogs increasing into the billions of dollars according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). For example, Daher Aircraft vice president Michel Adam de Villiers said that the company is sold out through November. Part of the reason for an increasing backlog has been the lingering, but improving, supply chain issues that began during COVID. 

“Our industry continues to be challenged by significant supply chain issues across the board that range from raw materials, through forgings and castings, to basic parts availability,” said GAMA president Pete Bunce. “These challenges are most acute in our engine sector.”

There is an air of uncertainty in the transition to a new presidential administration, notably due to a freeze on new regulations, a hiring pause for federal employees, leadership vacancies at the Transportation Security Administration and FAA and a promise of new tariffs of 25 percent. There is also concern about a renewed push to privatize the air traffic control system despite such efforts being soundly defeated in a bipartisan fashion over the last 30 years. 

Manufacturers wrestled with slowdowns in aircraft certification due to FAA staffing shortages over the last two years, blowback from the controversies over Boeing 737 certification, and now facing a prohibition on new FARs that could potentially affect future production plans.

“In aviation, the biggest challenge is not to stop rulemaking and other regulatory materials related to the promulgation of safety and technical standards,” Bunce said. “Instead, it is to find ways to enable them in a timely, transparent, and accountable manner to facilitate advances in new technology and enhance U.S. aviation safety, leadership, and competitiveness.” 

FLYING was told the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, National Business Aviation Association, and GAMA are all seeking to work with the Donald Trump administration to get clarity on how the rulemaking process on safety and technical standards will work going forward. On the optimistic side, aviation groups indicate that they believe the pro-business stance of the administration may mean more favorable tax policies for aircraft owners. 

Where FLYING saw additional concern was with Trump’s promise of high tariffs on imports that could play havoc as manufacturers have passed along some, but perhaps not all, recent inflation price increases and may not be able to absorb the cost of tariffs on imports. 

“Doesn’t anyone remember the Smoot-Hawley Tariff [Act of 1930], subsequent retaliation to it by other countries and the utter disaster it was for our economy?” said one aircraft marketing person, who requested anonymity. “We do not know how elastic the demand for general aviation airplanes is, and we are loath to try and predict the future. But we have been around the general aviation world long enough to know the accuracy of the axiom that ‘when the U.S. economy catches a cold, piston general aviation develops pneumonia.’” 

It’s a little less dire for the turbine market. Nevertheless, we’re going to be watching developments carefully. 

This feature first appeared in the March Issue 956 of the FLYING print edition.