Daher, the French manufacturer of the TBM family, plans to acquire the planemaker Quest Aircraft Company, based in Idaho, USA, which builds the Kodiak 100.
With this acquisition, Daher aims at reinforcing its aircraft manufacturing business by widening catalog, while creating an industrial foothold on the North American market. Quest currently employs 240 employees in its facility in Sandpoint, Idaho.
The Kodiak 100 is a 10-seat, unpressurized, entry-level aircraft in the single-engine turboprop category. Originally created for humanitarian missions in developing countries, the Kodiak 100 is capable of operating on uneven and ultra-short runways.
It is certified in 67 countries and used by air-taxi, recreational and leisure operators, along with businesses, pilot-owners, and humanitarian organizations.
Daher is already manufacturing the TBM 910 and TBM 940, some of the fastest turboprop aircraft in their categories.
“The Kodiak 100 is an aviator’s aircraft, just like the members of our TBM family, and we are happy to bring together two communities of passionate pilots and operators with the acquisition of Quest,” explained Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of the Daher Aircraft Business Unit.