Germany-based Turkish company Aquila Aviation is planning to establish an aircraft manufacturing plant in Turkey, Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank said yesterday during his visit to the company's facility in Schönhagen.

"Our aim is to increase value-added production and value-added goods in Turkey. The aviation sector is important in this respect. We will move a part of Aquila Aviation's production in Germany to Turkey. We will have produced an aircraft with our own brand," Varank said. The minister emphasized that they have already started looking for a location for the plane factory investment.

"There is a need for a runway for this kind of investment. We want them to establish the production facility as soon as possible by finding them the most suitable location," he added. Aquila Aviation CEO Celal Gökçen also noted that they acquired the company in 2016 and have been manufacturing planes since 2017. As the Turkish entrepreneurs operating the company, they have manufactured 50 aircraft so far, Gökçen added.

"We are trying to manufacture two aircraft per month. Our next goal is to begin production in Turkey," he said.

Minister Varank carried out a trial flight on the single-engine A211 GX model training aircraft manufactured by Aquila Aviation. The AQUILA A211 is a single-engine airplane in composite construction and designed for cruising and training. It is equipped with two side-by-side seats, low wings and a cruciform tail. The spacious, enclosed cockpit provides sufficient room even for tall pilots. Complete glazing of the canopy allows for excellent all around vision.

Varank also stopped at Siemens Technopark yesterday during his visit to Berlin, where he participated in the Germany-Turkey Artificial Intelligence Conference.