Pilatus to unveil twinjet at EBACE 2013

Pilatus is proceeding with plans to unveil its twinjet project in May at EBACE, the Stans, Switzerland-based aircraft manufacturer announced today in conjunction with the release of its 2012 financial results.

 “The PC-24 project–the new business jet by Pilatus–is making good progress,” it said. “Last year, the board of directors gave the definite green light to the biggest, fastest and most complex aircraft that Pilatus has ever built.

On May 21, the aircraft will be presented to the general public at EBACE.” The PC-24 program was initially expected to be revealed at EBACE last year, but that was postponed until “EBACE 2013.”

Pilatus has been tight-lipped about the new jet, but AIN understands it will have capacity for eight passengers and, like the company’s PC-12 turboprop single, a large cargo door.

  Meanwhile, the company reported $624.7 million in revenue and $40 million in before-tax profit last year, both of which were short of the numbers from 2011.

However, Pilatus’s backlog has ballooned from $342 million to $2.56 billion in just one year, thanks to military trainer orders from India, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. On the civil side, Pilatus delivered 62 PC-12 NGs last year, one fewer than in 2011, and expects a “cloudy” 2013 for general aviation.

(Aviation International News)