Diamond Aircraft, of London, Ont., is coming out of the financial crunch that resulted from the 2008 bank crisis and is attending the National Business Aviation Association convention in Las Vegas. It’s the first visit to NBAA in more than five years and the company used it to introduce its new DA62 twin-engine diesel to North America.
It’s also showing a DA40 Tundra single designed for rough runway use and a DA-42 diesel-powered twin.
CEO Peter Maurer made headlines at NBAA by suggesting the mothballed D-Jet program has a chance of revival.
Maurer told FlightGlobal that the D-Jet was never cancelled, just mothballed awaiting investment.
“We have never given up on the program,” Maurer told the publication. “We still have the same commitment and vision for the jet family that we did in the beginning and are continuing to look for suitable partners to see it all the way through.”
The program was halted in 2013 but there are three flyable prototypes. The D-Jet is a single-engine “personal” jet but Maurer said the next incarnation may be as a twin.
He said the market has changed a twin might be a better idea “in the current climate.”