22 April 2015
The owners of Eclipse Aerospace and Kestrel Aircraft have announced that they will merge to form ONE Aviation, which will be led by co-founder of Cirrus, Alan Klapmeier. Klapmeier is the CEO of the company, which will produce the Eclipse 550 twin jet and continue development of the Kestrel K350 single-engine turboprop.
The company has stated its aim is to serve a broad range of aviation consumers – from newcomers to seasoned users.
“We are excited to announce the formation of ONE Aviation. I feel privileged to lead this experienced team of aviation professionals as we increase production of the Eclipse Jet, further the development of the Kestrel turboprop, and build a suite of General Aviation products second to none in the industry,” said Klapmeier. “I am particularly excited about the Eclipse 550. As our pilot experience and aircraft needs grow, we look to move up – to fly higher, faster, and safer. For many pilots and aircraft owners, the Eclipse Jet, with its incredible efficiency and safety record, provides that next step.”
ONE Aviation plans to immediately gain operational and marketing efficiency by consolidating and leveraging the Eclipse and Kestrel business operations, supply chain, marketing and sales teams all under a single and seasoned management team.
The Eclipse Jet is currently in production and is the world’s only twin-engine light jet priced below three million dollars.
The Kestrel K350, currently under development, is designed to make high performance aircraft more accessible to the GA customer by reducing complexity and increasing value.
The deal was announced at AERO 2015 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. ONE Aviation will be exhibiting at Sun ’n Fun in Lakeland, Florida this week.
<a href=’http://oneaviation.aero’ target=’_blank’>oneaviation.aero</a>
