Taiwanese consider new funding, despite threatening withdrawal two months ago
Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) has reaffirmed its commitment to the Ibis Aerospace joint venture with Aero Vodochody and its Ae270 single-engined turboprop programme. The move comes less than two months after the Taiwanese government-owned company claimed it was seeking to pull out of the project.
Jiri Fidransky, president of Ibis Aerospace, the joint venture's US-based marketing arm, says: "After several months of negotiations AIDC has finally agreed not to withdraw from the joint venture, but the company has called for a thorough review of the Ae270 programme before it commits more funding."
AIDC is sending a team from Taiwan to Aero's Prague, Czech Republic, facility next month to evaluate the certification and financial status of the programme. Depending on the outcome the company says it may increase its investment, Fidransky suggests.
AIDC is considering resuming wing production and has pushed for a change in both the design and manufacture of the structure. The company stopped producing wings three months ago after delivering a batch of 10. "It has been collectively agreed that the manufacturing process must be simplified," Fidransky says. He says this is unlikely to have an impact on the certification schedule as the first 10 aircraft can be delivered using the existing batch of wings.
KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON
Source: Flight International