Published:11.10.2024
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Czech commercial aircraft manufacturer Aircraft Industries is back. Thanks to new markets, it will return to profit this year

The company is slowly returning to the pre-COVID and pre-war in Ukraine period. And plans to deliver up to 13 aircrafts L-410 NG to Latin America and Africa this year.

The largest Czech manufacturer of commercial aircraft, part of the Omnipol Group, is recovering from the loss of the Russian market. Last year, it emerged from losses, and this year, after two years, it expects to be profitable. It plans to deliver up to 13 aircraft to customers this year.

This spring, Kunovice-based Aircraft Industries took its first step towards returning to Latin America. The Chilean carrier Aerocardal ordered an L-410 NG aircraft from the Moravian manufacturer. The aircraft is already in the production hall, and Chilean pilots have just completed their training with Kunovice experts.

“We are very satisfied; it’s an excellent aircraft and easy to operate. In Chile, it will mainly be used to transport employees of mining companies and for flights to Chilean islands in the Pacific,” said Captain Iván Fabril of Aerocardal. According to him, the company is considering purchasing two more aircraft from Kunovice.

In addition to South America, Aircraft Industries has also succeeded in Africa. This spring, it delivered the first two L-410 NG aircraft to Senegal for the state carrier Air Senegal, with more aircraft expected to be delivered to Africa in the coming months.

Czech defence electronics and aviation technology company Omnipol Group took over Aircraft Industries, formerly known as Let Kunovice, from its previous owner, the Russian conglomerate UGMK, in 2022. Due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions on Russia, Aircraft Industries lost its dominant market.

In 2022, the company fell into a loss of over 213 million Czech crowns. However, according to Alena Medová, the company is returning to profitability thanks to its re-entry into traditional markets.

“We basically had to start from scratch, but in the end, it worked. Yes, 2022 was a loss-making year, but for 2023, we can already talk about a positive EBITDA, and this year we expect to achieve a positive economic result,” says Medová.

“In terms of the number of aircraft produced, we are slowly returning to the pre-COVID and pre-war in Ukraine period. This year, we aim to deliver 12 to 13 aircraft to our customers,” she adds.

The owner of Aircraft Industries, the Omnipol Group, also holds a stake in another Czech aircraft manufacturer, Aero Vodochody, where it is involved in the development and production of the new generation of L-39 NG military training aircraft. This year, the company delivered six aircraft to the Vietnamese Air Force, and four aircraft were purchased by the Czech state-owned company LOM Praha for pilot training. Omnipol also owns the passive radar manufacturer Era, which ranks among the most valuable Czech companies in the Czech Elite rankings, as well as the engineering company Mesit.

Source: https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/
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