Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus has announced its results for 2023. During what the company describes as a “superlative year”, the firm delivered 148 aircraft to customers worldwide, which it puts down to “high, unbroken demand” for its range of executive jet and turboprop aircraft.
Despite what the company describes as “ongoing challenges of the operating environment”, Pilatus closed 2023 with record results. The firm secured sales of 1.48 billion Swiss francs ($1.69 billion) during the year. Operating income totaled 240 million Swiss francs ($274 million), while new orders for aircraft worth 1.51 billion Swiss francs ($1.72 billion) were placed during 2023.
Despite 2022 having already been a successful year for Pilatus in terms of sales, Pilatus managed to achieve a 10% increase in sales during 2023 and added 6% to its operating income over the previous year. The total number of aircraft deliveries during 2023 rounded out at 47 PC-24s twinjet aircraft and 101 PC-12s – the company’s pressurized single turboprop executive aircraft. According to the firm, these results were achieved despite “ongoing supply chain problems and supply bottlenecks that adversely affected production rates”.
“We invested a lot in 2023 – in products, staff, growth, infrastructure, digitalization – and always with an unwavering focus on our customers’ needs,” said Hansueli Loosli, Pilatus’ Chairman.
“These impressive results will provide the basis for a promising, successful, sustainable future,” added Markus Bucher, CEO of Pilatus.
In relation to its growth in the government aviation sector, Pilatus successfully closed a repeat sale with the Spanish Air Force for the supply of a further 16 PC-21 training aircraft.
Meanwhile, in May 2023, the 2,000th production PC-12 was delivered, and in October 2023, the company celebrated the launch of the new PC-24 business jet that offers customers an increase in payload and range over previous models.
In 2023, Pilatus also saw a rise in the number of employees working for the company. It employed a workforce of 2,848 people at the end of 2023. To increase its production capacity, in early 2023, Pilatus proceeded with a phased takeover of all machinery of RUAG Aerostructures Schweiz AG at the site in Emmen along with its 230 employees. Then in December 2023, Pilatus also acquired the sales and maintenance services of Aero Center Epps, an independent sales center based in Atlanta, which now provides support for Pilatus customers based on the east coast of the United States.
Looking ahead to 2024 and beyond, Pilatus said it aims to “focus on opening up new sales markets, ongoing product development and fully meeting the needs of customers”. The company also intends to continue investing in infrastructure “with sustainability in mind”.
In addition to the planned extension of its main logistics building, the construction of a new dedicated Pilatus maintenance hangar in Switzerland is particularly noteworthy. Built from Swiss timber, the building will feature a full-surface photovoltaic system, and the use of groundwater for cooling, heating, and processing energy. With this new building coming online in 2024, Pilatus claims it “continues to reduce its CO2 emissions while making a clear commitment to a strategy of sustainability and Switzerland as a business location.”
