Rising Demand at Piper Leads To Increased Staff

Citing increased revenue, deliveries and demand—particularly among its M-class and trainer aircraft—Piper Aircraft has expanded its workforce by more than 20 percent over the past 18 months. The expansion, to more than 900 employees, marks its largest employment growth period since 2009.

“With aircraft orders in place for 2018 and several long-term contracts for trainer aircraft, the near-term forecast is stable,” said company president and CEO Simon Caldecott. “Additionally, our commitment to a level-loaded, built-to-order business model further enhances stability and creates consistent workload for the team.”

The Vero Beach, Florida-based aircraft manufacturer also announced that it has expanded the sales territory of OK Aviation Sales, a central European Piper Aircraft dealer and support company, to include Bulgaria and Romania. The company's territory previously covered Czech Republic, Hungary and the Slovak Republic.

“OK Aviation’s reputation, knowledgeable personnel and full-service operation provide an ideal foundation for growing sales and providing support of new Piper airplanes in this important region,” said Ron Gunnarson, the OEM’s vice president of sales, marketing and customer support. “We are delighted to expand OK Aviation’s territory and continue to work with them as we continue to grow the aviation market within these key Eastern European countries.”