Daher Aircraft’s TBM 980 confirms its market success

Daher Aircraft's flagship TBM 980 continues to build on strong market demand in the six months since its introduction, with a robust orderbook extending into mid-2027 and more than 30 aircraft already delivered.

The company is targeting 60-plus deliveries of the fast and efficient TBM 980 during 2026, potentially attaining the highest annual total in the TBM program’s history.

The TBM 980's strong market reception reflects the combination of technological innovation with the proven speed, efficiency and operating economics that distinguish the TBM airplane family. Introduced by Daher Aircraft in January, the TBM 980 incorporates Garmin's touchscreen-controlled G3000® PRIME flight deck, while further enhancing cabin comfort for passengers.

More than one-half of the customers receiving TBM 980s in 2026 are repeat TBM buyers, underscoring this aircraft family’s exceptional owner loyalty. It reflects Daher Aircraft's strategy of continual improvement with innovations to further enhance safety, reliability and operating efficiency.

"The TBM's success has always been built on purposeful innovation. The exceptional response to the TBM 980 – including the confidence shown by existing TBM owners – demonstrates how our strategy continues to resonate with customers around the world," said Nicolas Chabbert, the CEO of Daher Aircraft. "Each new version incorporates improvements while preserving the qualities that make our TBM the benchmark in its category.”

Chabbert also acknowledged the role of Daher Aircraft’s engineering, production, sales and support teams in the TBM 980’s success. “Their efforts reflect Daher Aircraft's unwavering focus on product quality, operational excellence and customer satisfaction,” he added.

At the TBM 980’s core is the Garmin third-generation G3000® PRIME avionics suite, bringing a highly intuitive and refined interface to significantly improve cockpit ergonomics. Its three 14-inch edge-to-edge touchscreen displays ensure seamless control of flight functions, while workload is reduced through customizable presets and a streamlined user interface.

Operational efficiency and precision piloting are ensured with features adopted from the previous TBM 960 version, including the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6E-66XT intelligent turboprop engine and Hartzell’s five-blade composite propeller – both of which are associated with a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system.

The TBM 980 retains Daher Aircraft’s e-copilot® concentration of technological innovation and automated systems, confirmed across its TBM 900-series airplanes. This includes advanced weather detection, icing protection, flight envelope monitoring and the emergency descent mode, along with the game-changing HomeSafe™ emergency autoland functionality.

Strong market demand for new TBM aircraft is reflected in the strength of the pre-owned market. Of the 218 airplanes built in the TBM 960 version, only three currently are available for sale worldwide. Similarly, just four aircraft of the previous TBM 940 variant are on the market out of a total production run of 124 aircraft.

Overall, the strong demand for late-model pre-owned TBMs, combined with their limited availability on the used market, has enabled these aircraft to retain remarkable value. As examples, pricing for the TBM 960 and TBM 940 remains close to original acquisition prices. Earlier-production TBM versions also continue to demonstrate outstanding value retention, reinforcing the product line's long-term investment appeal.

Since entering service in 1990, more than 1,300 TBM aircraft of all versions have been delivered worldwide, collectively accumulating more than 2.6 million flight hours in business aviation, personal transportation and multi-mission operations.