Pilatus Aircraft factories have re-established the machining of large components: Since October 2016, medium-sized aluminium structural components with a length of between 750 and 4,000 mm are being machined in a highly-automated manner by a Starrag Group flexible manufacturing system (FMS) including two ECOSPEED F machining centres. Production capacity has been increased by about a third.

Final assembly hall at the Pilatus Aircraft factory in Stans, Central Switzerland: You experience the wonder of flying much more here than when you're sitting in an "ordinary" passenger aeroplane. Here there are the newest models of the PC-12, a single-engine multi-purpose aircraft which has sold more than 1,500 units, some examples of the highly-modern PC-21 training plane and three prototypes of the twin-engine PC-24 Business Jet. These were certified in 2017 and 80 orders have already been received for them: it's hard not to grab the joystick yourself and take off.