Through the first three quarters of the year, general aviation deliveries rose 6.1 percent over the same period in 2017, while overall billings declined 3.1 percent to $12.7 billion, according to statistics released today by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

Business jet deliveries increased by 3 percent, from 433 in the first nine months of last year, to 446 in the same period of 2018. While the overall deliveries increased, this year’s total consisted of a higher concentration of smaller, less expensive jets, leading to the decrease in billings.

Pressurized turboprops saw a better-than 5 percent increase year-over-year, rising from 175 deliveries a year ago to 184 through the first nine months of 2018, and the turbine helicopter market also showed an improvement of 8.3 percent, jumping from 471 deliveries a year ago to 510 in the first nine months of 2018.

“This is one of those few times since the great recession that we have seen all segments up in shipment numbers,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “While there remain some soft spots in a few segments, including business jet deliveries and impacts being felt from global trade disputes, I’m optimistic about our industry’s performance in 2019 given continuing healthy demand for tax expensing, stabilization of the used market, and the number of new products being introduced to the marketplace.”