Diamond Aircraft
Diamond Aircraft, which a few months ago laid off a large number of its North America workforce, is cutting back some more. Citing the continued slow market for piston airplanes and its recent financial woes, Diamond Aircraft says that it has made the difficult decision to cancel its plans to attend the three most important shows in its annual calendar: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in July, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Summit in Hartford, Connecticut, in September, and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) show in Las Vegas in October.
In explaining the decision, Diamond North America president Peter Maurer said that "the retail market is of course very important to us and we intend to resume our full show presence when the economic climate improves." In lieu of the traditional show schedule, Maurer said that Diamond will exhibit at smaller, special mission focused events showcasing special mission versions of its consumer airplanes. It also plans to communicate with customers via electronic media in lieu of traditional advertising. It also plans to conduct its annual DiamondFest gathering of Diamond aircraft and owners at the factory in London, Ontario, Canada, on the September 17th weekend.
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