18 December 2006
Diamond Aircraft Industries Gmbh has announced that, along with three partners, it is to start manufacturing the DA40 Diamond Star in China, under the company name Shandong Bin Ao Aircraft Industries Co., Ltd. It is believed to be the first joint venture worldwide under which general aviation aircraft will be manufactured completely under EASA and CAAC Production Organization Approval.
The factory will be at Binzhou Dagao in the Shandong province (350 km south-east of Beijing). The maximum production capacity will be 1,000 aircraft a year (produced on three shifts), and the quality system under which they are produced will be a mirror image of the EASA approved system in Europe.
The plan is to manufacture the DA40 Diamond Star with G1000 panel for the entire China and Asia market. The joint venture is hoping for EASA certification in the second quarter of 2007.
