Aircraft
Pilatus Gears Up to Celebrate 80th Anniversary
The pride of the Swiss aerospace industry has reached new heights in recent years with its first jet, the PC-24.
PC-24
PC-24

Pilatus Aircraft, founded in 1939, is the only Swiss company to develop, produce and sell aircraft to customers around the world: from the Pilatus Porter PC-6 to the PC-12, the PC-21 military trainer, and the PC-24—the world’s first business jet designed to be able to use short, unprepared runways.

It now has more than 2,000 employees at its headquarters, making it one of the largest employers in central Switzerland. The company’s home base, Airport Buochs, is owned 50 percent by Pilatus and 50 percent by the Canton Nidwalden. Total Sales in 2018 reached CHF1,092 million (around $1.1 billion) and net earnings were CHF157 million. The total number of employees at what is a 100 percent Swiss-owned company stood at 2,283 at the end of 2018; and it had delivered more than 3,800 aircraft.