Honeywell reported its second quarter earnings last week, with a 1 percent decline in sales to $2.9 billion for its aerospace business.
In a statement, Honeywell attributed the overall aerospace sales decline to an 8 percent decline in sales of its defense and space products.
However, the company managed to post a better performance in the commercial aerospace segment. Sales of products to commercial airframe manufacturers increased by 8 percent during the second quarter, and sales of commercial aftermarket products also increased by 3 percent, "driven by continued strong OE build rates and favorable platform mix," the company said.
"Our long-cycle businesses, including commercial aerospace, process Solutions, and UOP, also continue to perform well, benefitting from favorable macro-trends, winning new contracts, and maintaining a strong backlog, which currently stands at $15.5B," said Dave Cote, CEO and chairman of Honeywell.
Cote said the company will remain "flexible given the continued uncertain global economic outlook," and will raise its low-end 2013 earnings guidance by $0.05.
Previewing the third quarter, Honeywell expects defense and space sales to continue to decline, while also predicting modest growth with its commercial aircraft aftermarket products.
Related: Commercial Avionics News