General aviation deliveries worldwide were down 15 percent year-over-year in the first quarter, according to new statistics from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

Piston airplanes dropped 7.3 percent to 166 deliveries, turboprops fell 32.6 percent to 60 and business jet shipments decreased 14.1 percent, down to 164.

Total billings in the quarter were up, however, climbing 7.1 percent to US$4.64 billion.

"These numbers are being released on the heels of Europe's premier business aviation show, the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition, where many of our manufacturers noted that the market seems to be stabilizing," GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said in a news release.

"Reported flight activity from the FAA and EUROCONTROL is on an upward trend, and the used aircraft inventory is slowly decreasing. However, these first quarter figures reveal that our industry is far from a recovery."