Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Dassault Aviation has inaugurated a new production facility northwest of Paris in Cergy, which over the past 12 months has been assigned multiple manufacturing tasks for both the Rafale fighter and Falcon business jets that were formerly conducted at the French group’s nearby Argenteuil facility. More than 600 technical staff, including many who transferred from the outdated site, are now working on aircraft skin panels, forward fuselage assemblies, fuselage outfitting, and metal hose and small parts production.
The company staged an opening ceremony today at the new site with chairman and CEO Éric Trappier and dignitaries. The latter included Philippe Court, prefect of the Val d’Oise area; Valérie Pécresse, president of the Paris Regional Council; Marie Christine Cavecchi, president of the Val d’Oise Departmental Council; and Jean-Paul Jardon, mayor of Cergy and president of the Urban Community.
The Cergy factory, which took three years to build, covers more than 27 acres with a production space of more than 427,000 sq ft. Featuring rooftop solar panels, the design also includes smart lighting and an innovative ventilation system.
“This is Dassault Aviation’s first new production facility since the 1970s,” Trappier said. “It sends a positive signal to the aerospace sector and to the industry as a whole. France possesses unique expertise that we must preserve and develop within our national territory. This is a question of sovereignty, which is particularly vital in the current context. It is also an economic and social imperative, to meet the challenge of reindustrializing our country and creating jobs.”
Between July 2024 and January 2025, Dassault transferred production from the Argenteuil site, which is around 17 miles from Cergy. Some small parts manufacturing went to another facility in Seclin.

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Dassault Aviation Inaugurates Falcon and Rafale Factory at Cergy

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Dassault Aviation officially opened its new Cergy factory, which produces fuselages and skin panels for its Falcon business jets and Rafale fighters.

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