Middle-market aerospace suppliers have had a strong start to the year, buoyed by Boeing’s progress in re-stabilising its manufacturing and production lines.

This stabilisation has proved to be beneficial to suppliers across the commercial aerospace value chain, as they can expand their production levels to match rising demand.

However, Boeing and Airbus are not the only uptick for some aerospace suppliers, as business aircraft manufacturing has seen strong growth.

According to General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) data, worldwide business aircraft deliveries rose 18.1% year-over-year in Q1 2025, with total shipments improving from 531 in Q1 2024 to 627 this year.

This broad-based growth spanned all major categories, with piston aircraft deliveries increasing 19.3%, turboprop deliveries rising 23.1%, and business jet deliveries increasing 11%. Helicopter shipments also saw modest growth, rising 1.6% to 187 units.

Billings tell an even stronger story. Total aircraft billings reached $5.04 billion in Q1, up 25.7% from the $4.01 billion recorded a year ago. Helicopter billings alone increased to $769 million, from $685 million last year.

This wave of activity is being driven by manufacturers across the board. Cirrus Aircraft led the way with 150 aircraft delivered in Q1, nearly double its deliveries from the same period last year, driven by high demand for its SR20 and SR22T models.

Bombardier, Embraer, and Gulfstream also had delivery increases, up 15%, 27%, and 50% respectively, compared to this time last year.

These trends have been taking shape for a while now, as we at Alderman have seen the future of business aviation being shaped by evolving ownership models and technology-driven efficiency gains.

Customers want the opportunity and the ability to travel on private planes, without costing them too much. These changes have led to making private jet access more flexible and cost-efficient.

Alternative strategies for full ownership, such as leasing and fractional ownership, are seeing increased usage as companies like NetJets, Flexjet, and PlaneSense expand their fleets and refine share-based models to cater to growing demand.

Jet card programs are becoming more sophisticated, enhancing their member structure to include dynamic pricing, guaranteed availability, and personalised travel perks.

On the operational side, technologies driven by AI, including predictive analytics, are transforming fleet management. Specifically, automated scheduling minimises downtime while on-demand booking systems enhance fleet deployment.

These efficiencies are created from these systems, which then lead to lower costs and allow business aviation to become more accessible to a broader customer base.

This shift towards flexible access models and efficiency-focused technologies is setting the stage for sustained growth in the sector, which bodes well for the A&D middle market supply base.

While the business aircraft market is quite different than the market for transport category aircraft, having business aircraft customers can provide meaningful benefits to suppliers.

Not only can business aircraft manufacturers provide suppliers with profitable opportunities, but they can also provide insulation from the dramatic build rate fluctuations that can and have occurred in recent years, particularly with Boeing.

As in every market, the business aircraft market has been more dependent on current economic activity and concerns over tariffs could dampen near-term demand in this market.

There have been some recent concerns expressed, for example, that operator pessimism has increased among business aircraft owners and operators. However, business aircraft backlogs remain strong, and demand is increasing, particularly in emerging markets.

Being a qualified middle market A&D supplier to Airbus and Boeing virtually assures that the supplier has the necessary capabilities to become an approved supplier to the manufacturers of business aircraft.

What remains, of course, is developing relationships and obtaining the specific customer approvals required by the various business aircraft companies.

The positive news is that the business aircraft customers such as Bombardier, Gulfstream, and Cirrus, are working very hard to diversify their supply base because of recent supply chain disruptions and material shortages relating to the pandemic, which creates opportunities for suppliers.

If you are a supplier to Boeing or Airbus and eager to expand your revenue streams, but not yet selling to the business aircraft makers, we encourage you to give these customers serious consideration.