Suva, Fiji – Deputy Chief of Mission Tony Greubel on February 7 officiated the signing of a $6.5 million agreement between the Government of Kiribati and AEVEX Aerospace through its wholly owned subsidiary, IKHANA Group LLC, for the purchase of a DHC-6-300 Twin Otter X2™ Re-Life® aircraft (serial number 718). The inking of the deal is the culmination of months of negotiations and commercial advocacy support provided by the U.S. Embassy in Suva (State) and the U.S. Commercial Service (Commerce).
Embassy officials welcomed high-level representatives from the Government of Kiribati, including the Minister for Information, Communication, Transport and Tourism Development – Honorable Mr. Tekeeua Tarati, Kiribati High Commissioner – H.E. Mr. Tebuai Uaai and CEO of Air Kiribati – Mr. Tomwa Tehumu, and from AEVEX/IKHANA Mr. Marcos Carvalhal, Vice President of Aircraft Solutions and Mr. Chris Mahony, Director of International Sales for the signing ceremony.
“One of the priorities of the U.S. embassy is promoting increased trade and investment between the United States and Kiribati towards economic growth that is connected, resilient, clean, and fair,” said Mr. Greubel. “We hope to see more partnerships and collaboration between American and i-Kiribati businesses.”
The Twin Otter X2™ provides a fully remanufactured “Zero-Timed” aircraft using AEVEX’s FAA approved Re-Life® airframe components for this newest addition to the Air Kiribati fleet. AEVEX/IKHANA are expected to further provide repair and maintenance support services for the Government of Kiribati in the next phases of improving infrastructure to support interisland travel.
The U.S. Embassy’s facilitation of the Signing Ceremony demonstrates its strong commitment to deepening bilateral ties with Kiribati and strengthening commercial presence in the region.
About AEVEX AEROSPACE
AEVEX Aerospace, headquartered in Solana Beach, California, supports the U.S. national security mission and partner nation needs around the world by providing full-spectrum aviation, remote sensing, and analysis solutions. The company’s capabilities include custom design and engineering, sensor integration and sustainment, aircraft modification and certification, mission operations services, advanced intelligence data processing, exploitation, and dissemination solutions, and tailored hardware and software mission-system tools. AEVEX uses agile and customized approaches to rapidly define, develop, and deliver specialized solutions for airborne special mission needs for the US Government, partner nations, and commercial businesses. AEVEX has major offices in California, Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia.