Intercontinental Aviation Enterprise (IAE), the aviation holding company behind the Intercontinental Aviation Academies (IAA), has signed an MoU with Diamond Aircraft Industries for the acquisition of 10 new Diamond training aircraft. The agreement strengthens IAE's commitment to expanding its global pilot training capacity across the UAE, Cyprus and Greece and at its newly announced academy in Portugal.

Under the MoU, IAE intends to purchase two DA42-VIs configured for A6 (UAE) and EASA registrations. This dual-registration strategy supports IAE's multi-country training ecosystem and ensures standardised fleet operations across all bases.

The initial delivery batch is planned for 2026, with delivery months to be mutually agreed from Q2 2026.

This acquisition will reinforce IAE's transition toward a modern, fuel-efficient and standardised training fleet, supporting its rapid operational growth and increasing demand from international cadets. The collaboration also includes maintenance training, instructor familiarisation, documentation support and spare parts provisioning to ensure full operational readiness.

Capt. Wissam Mehyou, CEO of Intercontinental Aviation Enterprise, comments: “This agreement marks another milestone in our expansion strategy. Diamond Aircraft's modern fleet supports our commitment to delivering safe, efficient and globally standardised pilot training across all our bases. With demand accelerating, this partnership enables us to scale with confidence.”

Anton Chirkovski, head of civil aircraft sales at Diamond Aircraft, adds: “We are delighted to support IAE's growth with our platforms. Its multi-base training model aligns perfectly with our aircraft's capabilities, efficiency and safety profile. We look forward to advancing this partnership through the final purchase agreement.”

The first aircraft from this order are expected to arrive in the United Arab Emirates, coinciding with the start of the initial IAA pilot batches entering their flight training phase.