Private company

Reims Aviation

Aircraft manufacturer in France

Reims Aviation Industries was a French aircraft manufacturer located in the city of Reims, most recently producing the F406 Caravan II. Reims Aviation was a wholly owned subsidiary of GECI Aviation.2 It ceased to exist in 2014.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1962Founded1
  • HeadquartersReims1
Aussie Air Reims F406 Caravan II ADL Finney
Photo: Chris Finney, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons4

Reims Aviation Industries was a French aircraft manufacturer located in the city of Reims, most recently producing the F406 Caravan II. Reims Aviation was a wholly owned subsidiary of GECI Aviation.2

The story

Max Holste, the company founder, built his first aircraft in 1931, a light two-seater aircraft called the SHB1. In 1946, he started his own aircraft company, Avions Max Holste, in downtown Reims. In the 1950s, two new models were designed: the MH.1521 Broussard in 1950 and the MH.260 Super Broussard in 1959. In 1960, a cooperative agreement was signed with Cessna to produce light aircraft for the European market. The company was officially born as Reims Aviation in 1962, mainly producing the FR172 Reims Rocket, a more powerful version of the Cessna 172. In 1989, Reims Aviation bought back all the shares held by Cessna and became a private French aircraft manufacturer. Production of the single-engined airplanes was halted, and only the F406 remained in production.

The company entered receivership on 10 September 2013. On 25 March 2014, the Commercial Court of Reims approved the transfer of the Company's aircraft maintenance, cabin management, integration and installation systems assets to ASI Innovation and the transfer of its F406 assets to Continental Motors, Inc. With the disposition of the company's assets, its parent company, GECI Aviation, was also liquidated on 17 April 2014. Continental has indicated that it plans to continue the production of the F406 in Mobile, Alabama.

From Wikipedia’s article on Reims Aviation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

The F406 was the last model still in production at the time of bankruptcy. All aircraft were made in cooperation with Cessna.

Reims F150

Reims F152

Reims F172

Read the full text

Reims FR172 Rocket

Reims F177

Reims F182

Reims F337

Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II

From Wikipedia’s article on Reims Aviation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded Avions Max Holste1

Timeline

  1. Apr 2014Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1962Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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