FutureFlight
Diamond Aircraft Owner Forms Electric Aviation Partnership
Wanfeng Aviation and the Wolong Electric Drive Group will collaborate to develop new electric motors for aircraft.
Diamond DA62
Diamond Aircraft produces a family of light aircraft including the twin-engined DA62 model. (Photo: Diamond Aircraft)

Wanfeng, the Chinese holding company that owns Diamond Aircraft, has agreed to develop electric aviation technology with the Wolong Electric Drive Group, which until now has been mainly focused on the automotive sector. In an agreement signed in Wangfeng Aviation Town on December 2, the companies said they would focus on developments including the use of magnesium alloy in motors for aircraft and other applications.

Hangzhou-based Wanfeng Aviation, which is part of the Wanfeng Auto Holding Group, acquired Austria’s Diamond Aircraft Industries in December 2017. Just 12 months earlier it had purchased a 60 percent stake in the company’s Canadian manufacturing.