“German aviation industry supplier Diehl Aircabin is expanding its existing capacities in Nyírbátor with an investment of some 37 billion forints (EUR 120M), towards which the Hungarian Government is providing 1.38 billion forints in funding”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced.
“The investment by the company, which was founded in 1902 and is still a family-owned business to this day, will enable the creation of 230 new jobs and involve the construction of new buildings and the procurement of new machinery”, Mr. Szijjártó added.
“If there exists a sector of industry in which precision plays a leading role, then it is aeroplane manufacturing”, he said. “This also indicates that Hungary is holding its ground in the global competition for high added value industrial investment projects”, he added. “The number of people travelling by air has been increasing by 5.4 percent-a-year, meaning demand for new aeroplanes on the part of airlines is also increasing, which requires new suppliers and new production capacities”, he explained.
“Market demand for the Airbus family’s new A350 model is also continuously increasing, and it is for these planes that the plant in Nyírbátor is manufacturing cabin equipment”, he added.
The Minister also mentioned that the Diehl Group has interests in some 80 countries worldwide and employs 16 thousand people. “Last year, the performance of Hungary’s aviation industry increased by 11 percent and exceeded 34 billion forints, and increased a further 6 percent during the first four months of this year. There are 16,000 people currently working in the sector, 18 percent more than last year”, Mr. Szijjártó explained.
CFO of Diehl Aircabin Hungary Ltd. Mario Amschlinger told the press that Airbus is the company’s largest contractor, and the plant in Nyírbátor manufactures cabin elements for the new A350 model.
Mr. Amschlinger recalled that the company’s subsidiary in Nyírbátor was established six years ago and was the company’s first production unit outside Germany. “Operations were launched with just a few employees, but the company now employs over 500 people and the whole economy of Nyírbátor is benefiting from the company’s presence in view of the fact that the company relies on local enterprises in several areas”, he added. “The company and the Hungarian Government have developed an excellent level of cooperation”, he highlighted.
The region’s Member of Parliament Miklós Simon stressed: “hundreds and thousands of families in the region will profit from this agreement”.
According to publically available company data, Diehl Aircabin Hungary Ltd realised 22.4 million euros in sales turnover in 2016, following 16.2 million in the previous year. Last year, the company posted after tax profits of 670.7 thousand euros.