Daher is a French industrial group that manufactures aircraft and aerostructures and provides logistics and industrial services. Founded as a shipping business in 1863, it entered aviation through activities and acquisitions whose manufacturing heritage includes Morane-Saulnier. Its complete-aircraft business produces the TBM and Kodiak families of single-engine turboprops.[1][2]
Industrial development
The group's original transport activities evolved into logistics for large industrial programmes. Daher began handling oversized loads for Airbus in 1989 and became involved in manufacturing the Falcon 7X upper fuselage in 2001. Its aerostructures work subsequently included Airbus A350 landing-gear doors and the tail boom and fenestron for the H160 helicopter. These contracts established a manufacturing role within aircraft programmes led by other companies. The Morane-Saulnier lineage, dating from 1911, supplies the historical foundation of its own-aircraft business rather than the date of Daher's shipping foundation.[1]
Two turboprop families
Daher completed its acquisition of Quest Aircraft in October 2019, adding the Kodiak to the TBM range. TBM final assembly takes place at Tarbes in southwestern France, while Kodiaks are assembled at Sandpoint, Idaho. The Kodiak is intended for utility operations, including work from short or rough airstrips and, when appropriately equipped, water. Its applications include humanitarian transport, government missions, medical evacuation and parachuting. The two aircraft families give Daher a presence in both business aviation and utility transport, supported through an international sales and maintenance network.[3][4]
Support and engineering services
The aircraft business also undertakes work beyond producing new aeroplanes. Daher describes capabilities in design and certification, continuing-airworthiness support, avionics modifications, logistics and maintenance for customer fleets. These services extend to aircraft made by other companies, including light aeroplanes and helicopters. Consequently, the group combines an aircraft manufacturer's responsibility for its own designs with engineering and fleet-support work for operators. This service activity complements its wider logistics business and its manufacture of structures for larger aerospace programmes.[2]