Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation tells ANN that it delivered 47 new aircraft in the first quarter of 2007, one more than the company delivered during the same period in 2006.

“2006 was another record year for Columbia and we expect our growth in 2007 to continue at the same manageable pace,” said Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing President Wan Majid.

“We’re consistently delivering four aircraft per week and our order book continues to grow. This is a great start to the year.”

As part of a restructuring program announced last month, Columbia is in the process of implementing a number of Lean Manufacturing and Lean Enterprise initiatives to streamline its production process. The Company is also upgrading tooling in a number of areas of the manufacturing process to maximize efficiency.

“Fit and finish is a hallmark of Columbia Aircraft,” Majid said. “The improvements we’re making at the factory enable us to raise the bar again.”

Columbia manufactures a variety of all-composite aircraft including the Columbia 400 – arguably the world’s fastest certified piston-single. The Columbia 350, 350i, 350SL and 350SLX are normally-aspirated, four-place aircraft with a cruise speed of 191 knots. The Columbia 400, 400i, 400SL and 400SLX are intercooled, twin-turbocharged, four-place aircraft certified to FL250 with a cruise speed of 235 knots.

FMI: www.flycolumbia.com