Diamond chairman Bin Chen
Diamond Aircraft, based in Austria, was sold to new owners in China last December, and this week the company released details about how the new owners plan to manage the company. Wanfeng Aviation Industry will focus on continued growth and maintain the site in Austria as “global headquarters,” according to the statement. The company will continue to develop new technologies and new products, including the Dart turboprop aerobatic trainer and the DA50 single-engine models. Some products pursued by the former management are “currently under evaluation,” including the Dart-280 helicopter and a tiltrotor concept. The company will add to the 600 workers now at its Austria headquarters, mainly in R&D, sales and marketing, production, and support. Diamond Canada added about 100 new staff over the last year.
Christian Dries, who founded the company more than 25 years ago, said he decided to sell the company after he turned 60, and no one in his family was interested in taking over. “Diamond is my life’s work,” he said. “In the interest of a successful long-term future, we needed to find the right partner to continue our good work. Wanfeng and specifically Mr. Bin Chen [president of Wanfeng] share my vision of the future of general aviation and are investing for the right reasons, with a long-term strategy and the resources to see their vision through. I look forward to seeing Diamond develop further, and based on our successful year-long partnership in Diamond Canada, I am fully satisfied that I leave Diamond in very good hands.” Dries will maintain an advisory function to help guide the new ownership and ensure the continued development of Diamond Aircraft Group.
