TBM 980 Makes U.S. Debut, Daher Hiring for Florida Plant

Daher Aircraft’s new TBM 980 is making its U.S. debut this week at the Sun ‘n Fun (SNF) Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida. Also at the airshow, the company is accepting applications for workers at its future TBM/Kodiak assembly plant in Stuart, about 40 miles north of West Palm Beach.

The TBM 980 and its Kodiak 100 Series III stablemate at Daher’s SNF static display are both sporting Daher’s Tehuano livery, named after the powerful mountain wind in southern Mexico. Unveiled in January, the TBM 980 is the French aircraft manufacturer’s latest TBM family member, featuring Garmin G3000 Prime avionics that allow pilots to better customize how they view the flight data.

Meanwhile, Daher Aircraft CEO Nicolas Chabbert said the company plans to start TBM assembly in Stuart in mid-2027 under its EASA production approvals. Though the facility is still under construction, the company is participating in the SNF career fair, seeking to immediately hire an initial 35 people for assembly line positions at the facility in Stuart, where the company already has an aerostructures plant.

Chabbert told AIN that the TBM 980 will be the first aircraft to be assembled there, with the Kodiak 100 and 900 to be added later. Initial assembly capacity in Stuart will be 30 aircraft per year, but will eventually ramp up to 50, which would increase airplane output at the company by 50% annually.

At the airshow that runs through Sunday, Daher is also looking to hire assembly workers for its Kodiak production facility in Sandpoint, Idaho, and A&P technicians at its Pompano Beach, Florida service center.