Pilatus Aircraft reached a new production record last year, delivering 152 airplanes (45 PC-24s, 88 PC-12 NGXs, 17 PC-21s, and two PC-6s), the Swiss company noted in its newly released 2021 annual report. That increase from the 129 aircraft it handed over in 2020 occurred despite supply chain disruptions and bottlenecks that negatively affected production, Pilatus said.

For the year, the company had revenues of CHF 1.3 billion ($1.39 billion), up 19 percent from 2020. General aviation accounted for about 68 percent of the 2021 revenues, with the remainder coming from “government aviation” sales. Pilatus also overcame production inefficiencies caused by supply chain challenges, with earnings rising 35 percent year-over-year, to CHF 210 million.

The Stans, Switzerland-based aircraft manufacturer also booked orders worth CHF 1.7 billion last year, resulting in a 1.3:1 book-to-bill ratio. Thus, Pilatus’s order book swelled to CHF 2.12 billion by the end of last year.

“Thanks to a great deal of hard work and flexibility, we achieved a very good result of which the entire crew may be justifiably proud,” said Pilatus CEO Markus Bucher. “Demand for our products and services has rarely been so high. Meeting customer expectations despite unreliable supply chains and continuing deglobalisation will, however, ensure our work remains challenging.”