AELO Swiss Academy Takes First Deliveries of DA20i Katana Aircraft to Expand 2026 Fleet

Switzerland – Diamond Aircraft has delivered the first two DA20i Katana aircraft to AELO Swiss Academy at an official ceremony at Diamond's Wiener Neustadt headquarters, marking the first milestone in a multi-aircraft agreement announced in October 2025 for up to 18 DA20 aircraft.

• The two DA20i Katana aircraft are the first deliveries from the multi-aircraft agreement, with further deliveries planned in the coming months as AELO continues its fleet expansion across Diamond and Tecnam platforms.
• The newly built European DA20i Katana features the fuel-efficient Rotax 912 iSc3 Sport engine and Garmin G500 TXi glass cockpit, offering modern avionics, connectivity, and enhanced situational awareness on a proven composite airframe designed for ab initio flight training.
• AELO Swiss Academy, a Diamond Authorized Training Center, will integrate the DA20i Katana into its existing fleet of Diamond DA40 and DA42 models, creating a multi-type Diamond fleet spanning single-engine ab initio, single-engine advanced, and multi-engine training.
• The DA20i Katana delivery complements AELO's parallel fleet expansion with Tecnam P2008 aircraft (four delivered in December 2025) and additional Diamond DA40 arrivals (February 2026), reflecting the academy's aggressive fleet growth targeting two aircraft per month from April 2026.

Statements

• "The delivery of the first DA20i Katana aircraft represents the beginning of a new chapter in our partnership. Designed with efficiency, safety, and advanced training capabilities in mind, the Katana continues to set the standard for ab initio flight training in Europe and beyond," said Jane Wang, Director of Sales, Marketing, and Flight Operations at Diamond Aircraft Austria.
• "As a Diamond Authorized Training Center, we have long valued Diamond Aircraft's commitment to safety, quality, innovation and operational efficiency. Their aircraft provide an outstanding training platform and play an important role in delivering the high standards of training our students expect," said Stefano Buratti, CEO of AELO Swiss Academy.

Source: Diamond Aircraft