Shanghai-headquartered Shang Gong Group has acquired the assets of German aircraft manufacturer Flight Design and has said it will make a significant investment into increasing production in the Czech Republic.
Having entered into insolvency last December, court appointed administrator Marcello DiStefano said that an intensive investor process was conducted on behalf of Flight Design, before reaching the decision to sell the company’s assets to a German subsidiary of Shang Gong Group.
The Shang Gong Group is a global industrial company based in Shanghai, and among others it also owns the US aircraft manufacturer ICON. Shang Gong will provide Flight Design with the working capital it needs for further development and to boost production.
Yongwu Chen, Vice President of Shang Gong Group, has lived in Germany for more than 30 years. He said: “We are pleased to take over all of Flight Design’s assets and are confident that Flight Design will soon regain its leading role in the development and construction of light aircraft worldwide.
“We will surprise our customers with a significantly increased production in the Czech Republic and a shortening of delivery times.”
In a statement, the entire management Team of Flight Design and its production company Flight Design CZ says they are happy about the new investor: “The Shang Gong Group is a modern and progressive industrial company. With the takeover of Flight Design, things will move forward again for customers and employees. The company will also benefit from considerable synergy effects with other Shang Gong Group projects.”
The aircraft manufacturer has been producing light sport aircraft for the last 35 years, approved by EASA as a development and production company, operating from sites in Eisenach, Germany, and Sumperk, Czech Republic after previously running production in Kherson, Ukraine. After the Kherson site was forced to close due to the ongoing war with Russia, where up to 600 employees were employed, the company relocated its production to Sumperk and says it has a backlog of orders for new aircraft.
