Press Release

Issued by Diamond Aircraft Industries.

June 28, 2017

Patria Pilot Training has taken delivery of four new Diamond single DA40 NG trainers with a DA42-VI expected to be delivered by the end of August 2017.

This follows Patria's order of five training aircraft and two flight training devices from the Austrian manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH in January 2017. The purchase consisted of four DA40 NG, one DA42-VI and two DA42-VI Flight Navigation and Procedures Trainers (FNPT II).

The single engine DA40 aircraft will be used for basic and instrument training, while the twin-engine DA42-VI will be used for multi-engine training. The fleet of modern Diamond training aircraft and Flight Training Devices will be used in Patria's new training center in Tampere-Pirkkala, where Patria's civil pilot training operations relocated from Helsinki Malmi in May 2017.

“We were very pleased to see that the delivery of our Diamond DA40 NG fleet was exactly on time and as planned. Patria is receivig a modern fleet of high quality aircraft which will become the back bone of our training quality and commitments towards our airline customers. We are confident that Diamond´s technical quality and fleet support will enable us to accumulate a high amount of training hours right from the start. Our new training base at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport together with the new fleet and recently installed training devices are a fabulous foundation to our high-quality training,” says Patria's Jyrki Myyryläinen, vice president, training.

Amila Spiegel, sales director civil aircraft, Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH commented "We are proud to be Patria's choice for professional flight training solutions. With our fleet of DA40 NG and DA42-VI, both equipped with the fuel efficient AE300 Jet-A1 engines and the newest Garmin NXi glass cockpit, as well as with the Flight Training Devices, Patria Pilot Training will benefit from a high level of standardization in maintenance, spare parts and procedures. We are convinced that the Diamond Fleet Concept will contribute to Patria Pilot Training's future success story.”

The benefits of the Diamond training aircraft include their low noise level and cost-efficient use, enabled by kerosene and diesel as fuel options. The aircraft are made of composite materials.

Patria already operates two DA42 NG aircraft. With the new purchase, Patria´s Diamond fleet will include seven training aircraft and two Diamond Flight Training Devices.

Patria will continue to operate nine Tecnam P2002JF aircraft together with the new trainers to answer to strong demand in pilot training markets in Finland and internationally. Last year, Patria also purchased an Airbus A320 FNPT/FTD1 MCC for the MPL training program.

Patria Pilot Training is a leading European aviation academy that has trained hundreds of commercial pilots since being founded in 1998. Patria's extensive training offering comprises also a Multi-Crew Pilot License (MPL) training module designed for commercial airline carriers. Patria Pilot Training uses state-of-the-art training aircraft and flight training equipment. The flight school has 20 employees in all. Patria Pilot Training is part of the Patria Group, which is a trusted provider of defence, security and aviation life-cycle support services and technology solutions with 2800 professionals.

Diamond Aircraft offers flight training organizations a full range of modern, safe, efficient and reliable single and twin-engine aircraft, along with high fidelity Diamond Simulation flight training devices, and corresponding maintenance and pilot training.