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Ilkay Özkisaoglu

Since 04/2021 216 Episoden

#215 Inside Diamond Aircraft: DA62 Business Aviation, Composite Innovation & AERO 2026 Preview

06.05.2026 22 min Staffel 5 Episode 173

Zusammenfassung & Show Notes

In this exclusive first episode of our Diamond Aircraft series, recorded in Wiener Neustadt, we meet Jane Wang, Sales & Marketing Director and Flight Operations Director at Diamond Aircraft Industries. Together, we dive into the world of efficient composite aircraft, modern flight training, business aviation, and the company’s growing global footprint.

🎥 EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Introduction to Diamond Aircraft’s portfolio: DA40, DA42, DA50, and the flagship DA62
• Composite fuselage & carbon fiber manufacturing advantages
• Why training aircraft represent over half of Diamond’s deliveries
• Jet fuel efficiency, cost benefits & Austro Engine technology
• DA62 as a “flying luxury SUV” for private owners, charter operators, and corporate missions
• Business aviation use cases: air taxi, executive transport, offshore missions, aero survey & law enforcement
• Cabin experience: how executives can work, call, collaborate, and travel efficiently
• 10 years DA62 anniversary and expanding global market presence

✈️ DA62 – The Star of This Episode
The newly built DA62 featured in this video will be showcased at AERO Friedrichshafen 2026, configured with two business class seats in the second row, powered by twin Austro Engines AE330 (180 HP each), and built entirely from advanced composite materials.
Its key advantages:
• Highest efficiency & lowest fuel burn in its class
• Short runway capability, including grass strips
• Up to seven seats, ideal for small corporate teams
• Multi mission flexibility (private, charter, special missions)

🌍 AERO 2026 – What to Expect (April 22–25, 2026)
AERO Friedrichshafen is the leading global show for General Aviation, featuring 756+ exhibitors from 38+ countries and over 32,000 visitors.
Expect 12 exhibition halls filled with gliders, ultralights, piston aircraft, helicopters and a strong Business Aviation presence. [aero-expo.com]

🔥 Major 2026 Highlights
• Record exhibitor numbers across general and business aviation
• A significantly expanded Business Aviation Dome and presence in Hall A1, showing the sector’s strong momentum
• The AERO Hydrogen & Battery Summit (21–22 April 2026) focusing on hydrogen, batteries, charging, control systems & future flight infrastructure
• AERO 2026’s central theme: innovation & sustainability, with a dedicated Innovation Area in Hall A7 highlighting alternative propulsion, electric flight and new engine concepts
• International reach expanding into China, South Africa, the Middle East, with high growth markets identified in Brazil and India [aero-expo.com], [messen.de] [youtube.com] [aero-expo.com] [pilotweb.aero]
✈️ Aircraft on Display
From drones to business jets, ultralights, gyrocopters, turboprops and piston engine travel aircraft — AERO showcases the full spectrum of modern aviation. [bodensee-airport.eu]

🎧 ABOUT THE PODCAST
Composites360onTour and Composites Lounge Engineering Talks bring you insights from Europe’s aviation and composites ecosystems — every week on LinkedIn, YouTube and major podcast platforms. We dive into sustainable materials, innovative manufacturing, and the technologies shaping the future of flight.

💬 Join the Conversation
How do you see the role of efficient composite twin engine aircraft like the DA62 in the future of business aviation?
Share your thoughts in the comments and stay tuned for another Part with Norbert Werle, where we explore Composites and the DA62 even deeper.

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YouTube Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jymzB6BETB0

Transkript

Here's our newly made diamond T-62. So wonderful. Good afternoon, dear LinkedIn community, Jet circle members, Composites Lounge members. We are now ramping up for AERO 2026, and we have the honor today to show you and present you an airplane manufacturer. We are here at Wiener Neustadt (Austria) and together with me is Jane Wang. She is the sales and marketing director, plus Flight operations. Thank you for being part of our show. Thank you, and welcome to Diamond Aircraft. Thank you so much. You have a lot of planes here. Now my first question to you is which one is your favorite model? Definitely the DA62. -The DA62, the one behind us. DA62 yes, this is my favorite, but I like other too the different function different size. We have the best training aircraft for airline related flight academy, then also for flying school around the world, or flying club. That's the four seater aircraft. So the DA42 D40. I also like that. Then the DA50 also is a newer single engine aircraft. Before we now dive in with you into the nitty gritty of the airplane and the production. We have a two days full program here. I would like to know and get our community a bit more about Diamond Aircraft Company. What is your Diamond Aircraft Company doing outside the planes? What do you offer in particular? -Diamond Aircraft is the well known OEM in general aviation industry. Where are top three in the world then from the delivery the size and we are well known in Europe and we saw the most we have the most market share in the European market. Then also we are selling to worldwide. We have a North American production. We have a China production. We covered all of the world. We have about 5,500 aircraft are in service currently. So we do OEM, but we do service. We do a business aviation, we do training aircraft, we do privately owned aircraft. So also we have our own engine company. Austro Engines. We will meet them tomorrow. I guess there is a planning for that. So tell me about your strategy. You have a strategy in this market. How do you differentiate yourself from other brands for example? We have a two market mainly. One is a training market, flying school, flying clubs and also business aviation, chartering, aircraft, air taxi. This is one part and another is a private fly private owner and fly a business, travel with our aircraft. Our large size aircraft like the DA62, D50 and for training we use the year DA40, DA42. I think our difference compared with it's a jet fuel. It's the most efficient aircraft and also composite material for our airframe. So that's our differentiator. Most important efficiency fuel efficiency than most of the safety aircraft to fly. And also the style the speed the style. The beautiful high quality design and also manufacture. That's our different, comparatively. Most attractive "flying office". We will come to the office right now. Community, let me tell you about one thing that our German counselor Merz has a DA 62. So that's also the reason why diamond is so popular in Germany and so much known about it. Yeah. Tell us about your Strategy on the trainings. Why is the training so important for you? I think the training represented more than half our delivery, our business and we make the best multi-engine training DA42. So in the market we sell the most reliable, most safety, most performance, the best performance aircraft. That's why all the premium airlines use our aircraft for their cadets training. Then also a private owner also like the multi-engine small aircraft for DA42. That's that's why the training I think that's our backbone business. Then, you know, that's the volume where the business we can deliver. -This is the volume where the really the number and your tact time is the one that can be optimized in the production that we will see hopefully tomorrow. -Then then also we have enough room to grow. You know when you look at all the continents. You know, Europe is first, then Africa, then Middle East, Asia. All these fly airline related, they have their fly academy and also a private loan flight school. Also use the training. They have to have a multi-engine training on a single engine training. So our aircraft's most reliable, most safe, efficient operating cost is the key right. The fuel you know. Also we use jet fuel. It's a multiple much better access for the customer available available for the fuel then also the cost is much cheaper than gas. -So the access for the training students much easier. And of course you want to train a lot in the air. That means a lot of fuel is required and therefore the access to operators cost is much cheaper. Jane, now let's come to Aero in Friedrichshafen. So you are a long standing partner of Aero. So we are very pleased with that. And of course in this year's edition you will be there again. And now we are talking about the business aviation hub, the dome area where you will be also having your static display. Now the business orientation. Is there a strategy that you have developed for business travelers? Yes, we we are doing currently. Then we have a customer in Europe already using the DA62 for business travel through chartering for A to be B, B 2 C. So then also in US we know a company use our aircraft to do moving their engineer to platform oil field platform. Doing this then also do tourists. So the DA62, we have a more room to grow in chartering and business travel than air taxi. So this is something we need to focus for next years. -So it sounds like that the DA62 will be a working horse. -Yes. Constantly in the flying. -Yeah. We say it's the best design light twin engine in S-Class. No one is better than the DA62. So this model here, that is just behind us. Tell our community what is the speciality about this model. So this is a totally newly built the DA62 aircraft. Then there will be in Friedrichshafen Aero. So with the built it's a new aircraft and it's a seven seats available. But this one is two seats in the second row. We set up as a business fly. And this is a twin engine by Austro Engine AE 330. So 180 horsepower on each. Then this is all composite material. Carbon fiber composite fuselage and also airframe. And this is the fastest aircraft in this class and also most fuel efficiency aircraft. When you fly this aircraft, much cheaper per hour, like a cost of about €12 per gallon. You know, flying this. You see, I'm from the composite industry, okay. And I saw your Diamond Composite building over there. And we will be talking tomorrow in very deep depth about the composite production. I'm very keen to that. -So that's our advantage. Yes. In a composite material making aircraft we're the first one. Yes. Right. -Yeah. That's cool. Jane, thank you so much for the first part. Now after this short break, Norbert Werle will continue and he will dive in with you into the flight models more deeper. Okay. Thank you. -How do we connect you with stories within the composites and sustainable materials industry? We are on the ground to find the facts. We examine big innovative ideas. We led diverse perspectives on technology and sustainability emerge and ignite conversations that matter most to bring you the composites and sustainable materials world. Stay informed. Stay connected. Stay inspired. From our online studios in Germany covering events and corporates from France, Italy, UK, Central Europe and many more European regions, join us for creating sustainable value with composites. -With Composites360onTour, Composites Lounge Engineering Talks and Composites Lounge End-user panels hosted by Ilkay Özkisaoglu weekly on LinkedIn, YouTube and your preferred podcasts. Welcome back again. And now going into the deeper dive into what the JET-Circle members are really caring about making a comfortable flight from point A to point B. So where do you see there the main advantages now of the time and DA 62 for business aviation flyers. Currently, the DA62, the Diamond DA62 has been using for multiple purposes. First of all, the private pilot, private owner likes to use this for family fly for business their travel with business. Then second by chartering company. Chartering company using this aircraft to do business chartering or flying. The executives fly from different city especially in Europe. Right from using this DA62. Most efficient because you don't require the airport like a commercial airport, right? A jet or this is required. A runway is most convenient for the DA62. So then we have another use is special mission uses so used by government. Use by military. So use this aircraft. You can do civilians. You can do ASR then you can do Aero survey. So, law enforcement. all use this aircraft. Aircraft, these DA62 special equipped then for special purpose. So then we see this for business aviation with your support, your our customer. Right then, for a long time. So we like to we see a room we can expand, you know, and we we didn't do too much marketing on that area because we used to rely on our sales partner more for private market. I see, you know, I think this is great. You know, we're going to work if we can work together, you know, get this, a roll out on a more in a chartering business and air taxi. That's what a our interest in the future development. So that means for you, you have so far mainly had private customers, like, from the beginning, the Diamond history with the single engine airplanes. Then you have the multi-purpose platform for the DA62, which is a major part. But now, in the future, even more, the business aviation side is the focus. And that's what we also experienced, that clients are really looking for efficiency to fly within Germany or from Germany to Austria, with such an efficient airplane from A to B. So where are you then developing now for this platform for the DA62, what is now for example in Friedrichshafen and special about the DA62. In Friedrichshafen we like to introduce this newly made DA62 and also business seating two rows. So then we want to market this to the, you know, the market. We didn't spend too much efforts over the years. Then this the best this we call we can describe this as a flying luxury SUV. Then a more selective said this is our flagship. So that means you have essentially three big market areas. The private pilots that are flying diamond. Already since years with the smaller single engine airplanes than the multi-purpose platform for all the surveillance aircraft, and the future as well more and more the business aviation clients that are using this. So from our experience, we see really the advantages of this airplane with the efficiency and the reach of airports and so on. How do you see that? Where is there? The main advantage of the DA62. -So the main advantage of DA62 is first of all is the efficient, most efficient and high performance aircraft. And light twin engine multi-engine is the most safety aircraft for most corporate executives. You know that area we are going to move more, make more efforts is the corporate flying the executive flight. You know we know the airport. You have a jet, you have a commercial airline. You have so turboprop, right. Then the our aircraft, the piston aircraft multi-engine. You don't request the runway. You know, it has to be 1000m long. Or you don't request the has to be paved the airport so our aircraft you can fly landed at grass field. Then also you can run multiple airport. You can be used so to land this aircraft. So it's a number of features advantage you know likes between if the company want to lower the operating costs especially current situation. So we want to lower the operating costs. Then DA62 will be perfect to fit this market. It's a jet fuel and also it's a multi-engine safety aircraft. Then you request a shorter runway than also is a multiple. It's enough. You can do seven people small group or a business group. People you know you can fit in between turbo and also turboprop. Then also jet. you know it's good for corporate flight. Good for chartering airplane company. -Fuel saving engines that you have. Right. So the fuel is a bigger thing for Diamond because we made the the Austro Engine. This our own reliable. It's a control the feedback control. You know, you can fly 5 to 10 hours. Yes. -Okay. And now what is making the DA62 really unique stand out? Now, from the history of selling the airplane and being in the market already now, since quite many years already. -Yes. This aircraft has been in the market ten years. Last year we just celebrated ten years anniversary. So, we are going to move to next ten years, next 20 years expanded the application or the usage for this aircraft. So hopefully, you know, we'll sell more, you know, more youth use for like in the Middle East and Africa, in Europe. You know, for government use, for military use, special mission aircraft. That's also the potential great potential for the company. Okay. And how is it now in comparison, this twin engine airplane to other twin engine airplanes? How successful was it so far on the market? -I think this is one of the best we delivered into the market. And in S-Class, you know, the light twin engine this is also the speed, the efficiency, the fuel usage, the jet fuel. I think we're very comfortable. Then also the quality, the design, the performance, all this we have. So we'll have a great potential for future if we can reach out more market then to make more introduction, more marketing on this aircraft. -In case a business client is flying with the DA62. How does it feel inside the cabin and what? How can you use the flying time actually in there? So from outside you can see the spacious cabin size. Then you can set up a two row. Then the second row you have a two seat setting for business people travel. You don't have a big for exactly a team. You don't need too many people. So you you can work inside. You can communicate with your team and you can do laptop making phone call. So this is a then you can do three rows set up. Then you have assistant travel with you in the back. You have a luggage space. This is the most spacious space in this class. Twin engine piston aircraft. So that's why we DA62 is the best for business travel between jet and turboprop. Because this is a low operating cost, the fuel efficiency and also the safety of light. Light. Multi-Engine. So that's why we say we have the the future to develop more, to deliver more to business flying. -This aircraft has very well selling so far. The airplane right? Yes. That's our the best selling aircraft so far. Yes. In the market. -In the market. Wow. Okay. Very well prepared this product and obviously already very well received from the market, this product. So yeah, thanks Jane for having us here today and giving us these insights into the Diamond product portfolio. And really this nice new airplane that you have here presented. And we will be looking for the future flights with Diamond Aircraft and the clients. -Thank you very much for your coming for the visit. Then we look forward to seeing you and introducing this aircraft in Aero Friedrichshafen 2026.