WACO Aircraft Abruptly Closes Factory

WACO Aircraft Corp. abruptly shuttered its Battle Creek, Michigan, factory and ceased operations Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Employees reportedly left the facility Tuesday afternoon only to receive an email shortly after instructing them not to return to work, while a sign posted on the factory door confirmed the closure of the aircraft production and maintenance provider.

“It is with a very heavy heart that we share some deeply difficult news regarding the future of WACO Aircraft Corporation, Centennial Aircraft Services and Dimor Group Inc.,” the sign read. “After exhausting every possible path to keep our operations running, ownership has made the painful decision to cease the aircraft production and maintenance services operations U.S. effective immediately.”

FLYING Magazine’s telephone calls and emails to WACO Aircraft and Dimor Group were not returned as of Wednesday afternoon.

Employees are expected to receive more information later this week as well as an opportunity to retrieve personal belongings from the factory.

The factory closure comes as a surprise to many in the aviation industry as WACO Aircraft exhibited at the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in Florida earlier this month and, according to the company website, had planned to attend many fly-ins, shows, and events, including the Catarina Aviation show in Brazil (May) the American WACO Club Fly-In in Troy, Ohio (June 17-21), the 67th National WACO Club Reunion in Mount Vernon, Ohio (June 25-28), and EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh in Wisconsin (July 20-26). It is unknown if the annual WACO Fly-In (October 3-4) in Battle Creek will still happen.

WACO Aircraft traces its lineage back to the 1920s. The WACO YMF-5 features a distinctive bumped cowl and art deco-inspected wheel pants that are a favorite at airshows and fly-ins.

In 2020 the German Dimor Group Inc purchased WACO Aircraft, which made customized YMF-5 and Great Lakes aircraft. The airframes harken back to the 1920s and early ’30s but are built with modern materials, safety features, and avionics. The aircraft are crafted by hand rather than mass-produced on an assembly line.

In February 2025 Dimor Group announced plans to invest $12 million into WACO Aircraft to build a 45,000-square-foot factory to manufacture the Junkers A50, a 1930s-inspired, low-wing, German light sport design. According to a Michigan television news broadcast, Dimor had planned to keep manufacturing the reimagined classics from the golden age of aviation.