Avionics sales climbed 2.9 percent last year, to $2.33 billion, reversing two straight years of declines, according to the latest data from the Aircraft Electronics Association. This year-over-year increase was solely due to a 20.1 percent uptick in retrofit avionics sales, offset by lower forward-fit sales.

Of last year’s sales, 42.3 percent, or $984 million, came from forward-fit sales, marking the lowest dollar amount in this category over the last five years. In total, forward-fit sales fell nearly $160 million year-over-year in 2017. By contrast, the retrofit market showed an increase in its percentage of total sales for the fifth-straight year—to 57.7 percent—recording an all-time high of more than $1.3 billion in sales last year. Nearly three-quarters of the 2017 sales volume was in North America (U.S. and Canada), while 26.5 percent took place in other international markets, AEA said.

AEA’s data covers all business and general aviation aircraft electronic sales, including component and accessories in cockpit/cabin/software upgrades/portables/certified and noncertified aircraft electronics; tip-to-tail hardware; batteries; and chargeable product upgrades from the participating manufacturers. The amounts do not include repairs and overhauls, extended warranty, or subscription services.