Diehl Aviation today officially broke ground on its new production facility in Craiova, Romania. The 12,000 m² site will strengthen the Tier 1 aviation supplier’s global footprint and support rising demand for aircraft interiors and other components, including for customers Airbus and Boeing.
Whilst Laupheim-headquartered Diehl Aviation already boasts production facilities in Germany and Hungary — and recently moved into a new site near Santiago de Querétaro in Mexico, where it will build Airbus’ Airspace XL flip-up bins for the A220 — its expansion in Romania is strategic.
The largest city in southwestern Romania, and the capital of Dolj County, Craiova is located in “the heart of Europe,” Diehl Aviation said today as it broke ground on the new production site, an event attended by numerous government representatives.
“The Dolj region offers excellent infrastructure including direct access to major highways and Craiova International Airport, enabling efficient logistics and seamless connectivity to suppliers and customers.” This ensures that Diehl Aviation can connect seamlessly with its other European locations.
“The region is also known for its strong availability of skilled professionals, supporting high-quality production standards,” added the aircraft system and cabin solutions provider.
The right talent, the right education
Indeed, Craiova’s dynamic regional labor market is a big draw for Diehl Aviation, company CEO Dr. Jörg Schuler told Runway Girl Network at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.
He explained that Diehl Aviation needs the Craiova facility to “master” growth to meet the needs of airframers including Boeing and especially Airbus, which is ramping up to a production rate of 75 A320 family aircraft per month by 2027 — a program on which Diehl Aviation is a major supplier.
The new facility in Mexico “is helping on the one hand but we need something in Europe,” he said. “We have a big area in Hungary where we have a facility, as you know. We could have enlarged Hungary, but availability of workforce is not a given.”
That’s because Chinese battery manufacturer CATL and luxury car brand BMW are also vacuuming up a lot of talent in Hungary. “So, the workforce is very difficult to get,” noted Dr. Schuler.
“This is why we said, ‘let’s look at another country, where workforce availability is there, where you get the right talent with the right education.’ This is why we ended up in Romania.”
Notably, as an EU member, Romania also provides “political stability, economic security, and strong market integration,” said Diehl Aviation, noting it’s investing a “mid-double-digit million-euro amount” in the new facility and will employ roughly 75 staffers initially with a “medium-term goal” of growing to around 500 employees.
The construction project, which is being primarily planned and executed by Romanian company Global Vision, is scheduled for completion by mid-2026. Diehl Aviation expects to begin production shortly thereafter.
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