Two years into its Take Off 2027 plan, Daher has committed to stepping up efforts to improve productivity in its aircraft and aerostructures manufacturing activities, as well as in services. Announcing a 9% revenue hike in 2024 to $1.8 billion, the French group’s chairman and CEO, Didier Kayat, told reporters today at a Paris media briefing that it faces ongoing challenges to become more competitive.

Like many other aerospace companies, Daher has had to deal with an array of inflationary pressures that have driven up its costs. Kayat said these included raw materials, staff salaries, and prices charged by suppliers.

Last year, the group’s Daher Aircraft division delivered 82 turboprop singles (56 TBM 960s, 15 Kodiak 100s, and 11 Kodiak 900s), marking an 11% increase from 2023. The company also logged net orders for 100 TBMs and Kodiaks in 2024, with its aircraft backlog now extending into 2026.

With 14,000 employees on its payroll, the group has been through a rapid recruitment cycle, having hired 2,500 people in 2024. Because many of these new colleagues are relatively young and inexperienced, the company has had to invest time and resources to provide extensive training.

Safety and Management Culture Revamp

Kayat said that safety at work is a key priority for 2025 and that a “revamp” of the safety culture is needed in light of recent experience. He added that the group is investing in training for around 2,000 managers to achieve a shift in leadership culture to support the implementation of its strategy.

Daher’s strategy will continue to prioritize decarbonization to deliver its commitments to introduce higher degrees of electrification to its aircraft by 2027. Its “Shap’In” project is focused on designing lighter, higher-performance aerospace structures, while the “Log’in” initiative aims to decarbonize multiple aspects of its aircraft services operations.

Negotiations with key aerospace clients will continue through June as Daher aims to settle on realistic production rates and pricing with OEMs including Airbus (both commercial airliners and helicopters) and Boeing. It has already settled its agreements with Dassault Aviation and Airbus Atlantic.

Facing the prospect of U.S. government tariffs imposed on the European Union, Daher’s efforts to expand capacity at its production facility in Stuart, Florida, have taken on a new sense of urgency. Further construction work is set to begin in the next few weeks, and by the end of 2026 it expects to have recruited around 100 final assembly workers at that site to increase its capacity to that of its Tarbes facility in France.

Kayat acknowledged that ongoing political turbulence in France has caused uncertainty over issues such as levels of government support through the CORAC aerospace research agency. He said he hopes that a budget settlement can be reached in the country’s parliament this week, potentially clearing the way to unlocking a freeze on the current settlement for the industry.