Popular Demand Spurs Production In Europe To Resume

Diamond Aircraft is responding to a wave of popular demand from flight schools, clubs, and owners by restarting the production line for its Katana 2-seat single-engine piston airplane. The Katana is well-known for its performance, reliability, and value in the training environment.

The company will be building the Katana at its facility in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, and the DA20i will be powered by the Rotax 912 iSc3 Sport engine to offer modern efficiency and performance.

In a major upgrade from earlier versions, the aircraft will be equipped with the Garmin G500TXi glass cockpit that brings advanced avionics and a touchscreen interface to the flight deck. The system provides faster processing, intuitive navigation, and enhanced situational awareness with its synthetic vision, terrain awareness, and real-time traffic. Those features mean reduced pilot workload, a clean cockpit layout, and an improved flying experience.

The DA20i is built on Diamond’s proven composite airframe that brings refined engineering, structural durability and decades of trusted performance to owners and operators. With its mix of tradition and innovation it is a great choice for modern flight training as well as recreational flying.

Jane Wang, Director of Sales, Marketing, and Flight Ops at Diamond Aircraft Austria said, “We’re thrilled to bring the DA20i Katana back to Europe. This aircraft has always held a special place in the hearts of pilots and instructors, and with its new upgrades, it’s ready to inspire the next generation of aviators.”

Although production of the DA20 was discontinued in Europe more than a decade ago, the airplane continued to be built in Canada as the DA20-C1 model, powered by the Continental IO-240-B32B engine. Those aircraft will continue to be manufactured at Diamond's London, Ontario facility with no changes.

FMI:  www.diamondaircraft.com/