The largest manufacturer of civilian transport aircraft in the Czech Republic, Aircraft Industries, is returning to Czech ownership after 14 years. On April 21st, 2022, the Russian owner and the OMNIPOL Group agreed to sell 100% of Aircraft Industries shares to the Czech company OMPO Holding.
Intensive cooperation between the OMNIPOL Group and Aircraft Industries was resumed in November 2021 with the signing of an Agreement concerning Strategic Cooperation in Foreign Markets. This agreement was signed with the participation of representatives of the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade at the international exhibition in Dubai.
Aircraft Industries has very proudly manufactured more than eight thousand aircraft and exported them to sixty countries around the world. The aim of the Agreement is cooperation and coordination of business activities and expansion into third-country markets. The core products are the L 410 and L 410 NG series transport aircraft.
“Aircraft Industries has been a recognized manufacturer of aircraft since 1936, so in the current crisis situation, it was a matter of course for us to do our best to save the final Czech aircraft manufacturer. There are not many traditional Czech manufacturing companies on the market, so it is our duty to maintain and further develop their production. After successfully saving one legend in the field of aviation, the company Aero Vodochody, we want to help save another great representative of the Czech aviation industry, ” said Jiří Podpěra, President of OMNIPOL.
Due to the current strong position of Aircraft Industries and its importance not only within the region but also in the Czech aviation industry, the acquisition aims to stabilize the company and maintain production capacity.
“We very much welcome the newly concluded agreement, as in the current situation it will undoubtedly help to provide our company, and especially our employees, with a reliable and safe environment to continue their great work. We have been cooperating with some of the OMNIPOL Group’s production companies for a long time, and direct involvement in the group will further deepen our mutual activities. Our trust is confirmed by the fact of how well-run and prosperous companies are already part of the Omnipol Group, ” added Ilona Plšková, CEO of Aircraft Industries.
Aircraft Industries found itself in a very difficult situation after sanctions were imposed on the Russian Federation, which formed the company’s core market. In cooperation with OMNIPOL, after signing the cooperation agreement, it began to successfully develop business cooperation to replace supplies outside of the Russian Federation. Both companies anticipate concluding new aircraft supply contracts for customers in third markets in the coming months of this year. OMNIPOL / OMPO holding is a Prague-based, investment and trading group that enters traditional Czech companies in the aerospace industry. Currently, the last investment was the purchase of a stake in AERO Vodochody Aerospace, a manufacturer of L-39NG aircraft.
