Hungary's Magnus Aircraft will begin production at its plant in southern Hungary at the end of the month, it was announced on October 19. Magnus was awarded HUF2bn (€6.2bn) in government grants for the construction of the HUF5.2bn plant.

The 1,900 sq m assembly plant will have the capacity to turn out 100 aircraft a year, CEO Laszlo Boros said. Magnus has already started the second phase of the investment: construction of a 5,000 sq m composite parts plant that will boost annual capacity to 200 aircraft. Phase2 will be completed by the spring of 2019.

Magnus Aircraft, established in 2011, specialises in the design of small sport and training aircraft. In 2015 it was the first company in the world to develop a two-seat aircraft made from composite materials and capable of aerobatics.

The Fusion 212 runs on motor fuel and not kerosine, which reduces maintenance costs. It employs about 50 people at present, but headcount will climb to at least 115 when the parts plant is completed.

The all-electric Magnus eFusion made its maiden flight two years ago. The project featured a significant value-add from the Hungarian subsidiary of Siemens, which contributed to developing a fully electric drive system and the battery. 

Industry experts claim that eFusion has the potential to be used for pilot training at the fraction of the cost of other aircraft. The company received numerous awards at the AERO 2016 international aviation expo, which helped its expansion drive. It established a subsidiary in the US in 2016, and factories and assembly plants are also under construction in China and Russia.  

The main consideration during the development of the Fusion product line was the introduction of sports aircraft that were environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient and safe, and would allow thousands of novice pilots to gain introductory flight experience, the company said.