Icon Aircraft shifts some manufacturing to China amid leadership change

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Two-seat amphibious plane maker Icon Aircraft is set to undergo the next stage of its corporate restructuring with the relocation of a portion of its manufacturing footprint to a new facility in China and the departure of longtime President Jason Huang, according to a letter sent by Huang to Icon A5 owners.

This development represents a significant realignment for the company which earlier this year was purchased by SG Investment America (SGIA) as a part of ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. SGIA, through several subsidiaries, is directly linked to Shanghai-based Pudong Science and Technology Investment (PDSTI) Company, Icon’s largest investor.

Related: Tracing Icon Aircraft’s path to bankruptcy

With that purchase, Icon joined the slew of other American general aviation companies now owned by entities outside the U.S. including Piper (owned directly by the Sultan of Brunei), Cirrus (owned by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China) and Epic (owned by Cyprus-based businessman Vladislav Filev).

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Will Guisbond
Will Guisbond is a Staff Reporter at The Air Current, where he is responsible for in-depth coverage on a variety of aviation topics, including airports and infrastructure, as well as general and business aviation. Previously, he worked for two years in public affairs at an electric aerospace company, and prior to that, contributed to eVTOL.com and Vertical Magazine as a reporter covering sustainable aviation and advanced air mobility. An instrument-rated private pilot and active aviator, Will is based in Washington, D.C.
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