By IANS,
Hyderabad : Diamond Jets is setting up a composite facility in Madhya Pradesh to manufacture avionic parts, a top company official said Friday.
“We see India as a potential market for aviation. We have major expansion plans in India. The new composite manufacturing facility will come up at Madhya Pradesh in next three months,” Vivek Saxena, senior Vice President (Marketing) of PCI Ltd, a firm responsible for sales of Diamond Jets, said here.
He, however, refused to share information about the exact location of the project. “We will come out with comprehensive announcements soon,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Hyderabad Air show.
Saxena also said the company has inked a deal with Shivani Air, the only aviation training school in Nepal, for two single engine jets.
Flying schools account for 60 percent of Diamond Jets’ global sales.
“Flying schools are becoming more aware of quality products and are no more interested in having second hand jets which used to be the preference till 2008,” Saxena said.
Diamond Jets have delivered nine single engine jets for the government-owned Gondia Flying Academy in Maharashtra. “We are delivering one twin-engine for the academy tomorrow and will deliver 11 more to the academy in a year,” he said.
Currently there are 23 Diamond Jets in service in India.
The jet makers are also looking at medium-scale enterprises and corporate entities as prospective clients. “We are increasing our presence in the corporate sector and also the medium-scale enterprises,” he said.
Single and double-engine Diamond jets are priced between Rs.1.8 crore and Rs.5 crore, said another official, Berhard Gruber, the fleet sales manager of Diamond Jets.