Thank you to our Diamond Aircraft Family
We’d like to start by saying: Thank You! Thank you to all our employees, customers and partners. None of our achievements would be possible without your dedication, hard work and support. Having you in our #DiamondAircraftFamily means a lot to us. Thank you for being part of our journey!
DA50 maiden flight with retractable gear
The maiden flight of our DA50 with retractable gear on 28 October most probably was THE biggest achievement. We are all totally excited of her new looks and are very much looking forward to having her certified soon. We are aiming on basic EASA certification for the retractable gear 5-seat version with 300 hp Continental jet fuel engine CD-300 in Summer 2020. Stay tuned for AERO Friedrichshafen 2020 as we will have more information on specifications and pricing.
Welcoming many fleet customers
Our DA42 and DA40 types are the bestselling piston trainer aircraft in the world. We are more than proud to have welcomed many new fleet customers all over the world and to see many existing clients increasing their fleet due to satisfying experience in operation. It perfectly shows that Diamond’s approach to offer the most complete and modern piston training aircraft fleet, ranging from single engine basic to advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft along with type specific flight simulators, is one of the major drivers for the success of a flight school. In 2019 the following flight schools opted to start their business or increase their fleet with Diamond aircraft:
- Oman Aviation Academy
- KLM Flight Academy
- Lufthansa Aviation Training
- Saudi National Company of Aviation (Oxford Saudia)
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Blue Line Aviation
- airBaltic Pilot Academy
- Airbus Flight Academy Europe
- Australian Air Force Cadets
- Egnatia Aviation
- Ethiopian Airlines
- GetJet Airlines
- Patria Aviation Training
- Pilot Flight Academy (Norway)
- NCAT Nigeria
Aircraft updates and new services
We are constantly striving to improve our aircraft. Some projects may take longer than others and we do have lots of updates in the pipeline, but here’s a list of some of our 2019 achievements:
- We are thrilled to be the first piston aircraft and engine manufacturer to offer a program that jet owners have enjoyed for years. Since February, together with PistonPower we are offering the Diamond Airframe and Engine Program.
- At AERO Friedrichshafen in April we announced the comeback of the AvGas powered DA40 XLT with deliveries starting end of 2019.
- Also, at AERO Friedrichshafen we presented new exterior and interior designs for our stunning DA62 and DA42-VI. We have extended our color palette to almost any color you could wish for and to let you be as unique as you wish. Interior options now also include extravagant black-cognac or black-grey genuine leather seats with matching stitching options. The DA62 will be featuring a new 4-seat configuration with club seating in the second row.
- We boosted the capability of our special mission aircraft with numerous new sensor options: Leonardo Gabbiano Ultra-Light TS-80 and Ultra-Light TS-20 radar for maritime and over-land surveillance missions, Thuraya Aero Satellite System enabling real-time transmission of HD aerial video and position data, a new survey concept including a Single Seat and Survey Hatch Concept, SAFRAN’s EuroFlir 410, the Thales Avni capability enabling fully interchangeable sensor configurations and the Trakka TC300 via MIMO MANET.
- We are now providing our customers with a three-month subscription to SiriusXM’s satellite-delivered aviation weather, information, and audio programming services with the purchase of a new aircraft. SiriusXM Aviation is available in the continental United States and Canada.
- And many more updates are about to be finished in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more information in 2020.
Chinese certification for the DA62
Receiving validation of type certificate by the Civil Aviation Administration of China for our DA62 marked another major milestone in 2019, not only for Diamond Aircraft, but also for the general aviation industry in China.
Austro Engine AE300 series license production
In February Austro Engine announced that it will fully transition to licensed production of the AE300 series, including the AE330. More updates coming in Q1/2020.
DART series demonstrations
In April the DART-550 turboprop aerobatic trainer proved its capabilities during first demonstration flights with potential customers. The DART-550 is currently under development and undergoing EASA certification.
20-years anniversary of the DA40
The DA40 history dates back to 1999 when the DA40 prototype flew for the very first time. So we are super happy to celebrate two milestones of our beloved single in 2019: the 20 years anniversary of the DA40 series and the 400th Austrian built DA40 NG with serial number DA40.N400.
Boost in sales units
Although reports are not finished yet, we are more than happy to have increased our global sales numbers by approx. +50% compared to last year. There cannot be enough Diamonds in the Sky :-) And we are still not finished with our ramp up.
Top Employer 2019 in Austria
Diamond Aircraft Austria was named as one of the Top-300 Employers in Austria. This accolade is a great honor as we are constantly striving to further improve our working environment and we are happy to see a huge increase in the #DiamondAircraftFamily in Canada and Austria:
- Diamond Canada: from 285 employees in 2018 to 380 in 2019
- Diamond Austria (incl. Austro Engine): from 645 employees in 2018 to more than 800 in 2019
Automatic landing with a DA42
In May, the DA42 research aircraft of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) made a completely automatic landing at the Diamond Aircraft airfield in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. Read more about their exciting project.
Launch of new website and merchandise
Following our approach ONE WORLD. ONE DIAMOND. ONE FAMILY. we have restructured the company with having all entities under one corporate roof now. This also meant re-shaping our marketing activities. Among the many things we have done this year, we are most proud of the launch of our new common website and a brand-new merchandise line.
Finally, no more struggling, which Diamond website is the official one and who to address with your request, and the new website delivers a better experience on every device – from phones, to tablets to desktop.
In Autumn we have presented the first part of our all-new re-branded Diamond merchandise – from high-quality polos, shirts, hoodies, caps and jackets to coffee mugs, pens, notebooks and kids’ games. And there is more to come, including a shiny new online shop coming 2020 for a better shopping experience. Go to our Pilotshop and make someone happy :-) Although we are closed from 23 December to 7 January, we are happy to receive your orders via email and will follow up when we return.
DA50 exterior design competition
In May we kicked-off the exterior design competition for our next DA50 demonstrator. The number of designs as well as ideas and stories behind made us speechless. Choosing the winners was not easy at all, but in September we were happy to announce “And the winner is…”.
Microsoft partner announcement
The year is ending with another exciting announcement: we are proud to be listed as one of the manufacturers represented in the upcoming release of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Check out the trailer and be prepared to fly the DA62 in the game coming 2020.
We hope that you are enjoying being with us and want to thank you again for all your support and open feedback. On behalf of the whole #DiamondAircraftFamily we wish you joy, peace and happiness throughout the New Year and are very much looking forward to continuing our journey in the years to come.
We are enjoying some time off due to the festive season and will return on 6 January 2020 (Diamond Canada) respectively 7 January 2020 (Diamond Austria).
Stay connected and follow us on social media:
#WeFlyDiamondAircraft
Diamond on Facebook
Diamond on Instagram
Diamond on YouTube
Or subscribe to Diamond Airmail.