Quest Aircraft Co., the Sandpoint-based maker of the rugged Kodiak airplane, announced earlier this month at an aircraft show in Wisconsin that it has expanded its dealership network, and it also now offers a fully certified executive version of the plane.

Quest also announced at the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture that it plans to nearly double the size of its Sandpoint factory.

The EAA AirVenture is an annual gathering of aviation advocates held at the Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis.

The company has signed an agreement with Kerala, India-based Thumby Aviation Private Ltd. as the exclusive dealer for Kodiak aircraft in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.

Two Kodiaks currently are owned by Indian operators. 

“With our new dealer in place, we expect to see greater market penetration in India and the surrounding region, says Steve Zinda, Quest’s vice president of sales in a press release issued during EAA AirVenture. “The aircraft is very well suited to the terrain and other characteristics of this area.

Quest is now represented by 12 dealers worldwide and Kodiaks are in operation in more than 20 countries.

Also at the event, Quest showcased two new Kodiaks, including a Summit Executive, which is equipped to appeal to high-end business clients, says Quest spokeswoman Julie Stone.

The Summit features upgraded aviation electronics and interior club seating. “It’s truly a business interior,” Stone says. “A lot of high net-worth individuals like that for business and pleasure.”

Quest’s base-equipped Kodiak, called the Tundra, starts at $2 million. Its mid-level Kodiak, the Timberline, is equipped with air conditioning and a deicing system.

Other recently developed enhancements rolled out at the air show include a newly integrated autopilot as standard equipment and an option to install a deicing tank in a cargo pod rather than in the cockpit.

The Kodiak also has redesigned exterior lighting, and increased landing weight by nearly 600 pounds to 7,225 pounds.

Quest plans to begin construction in August on a 75,000-square-foot addition to its 84,000-square-foot factory at the Sandpoint Airport, about 75 miles northeast of Spokane, Stone says.

The project is expected to be completed before year-end. Stone declines to disclose the project value.

Quest currently has 210 employees in Sandpoint, and will add to its workforce with the expansion, Stone says.

“The main reason for the expansion is to ramp up production,” she says. Quest Aircraft Co. currently produces three Kodiak airplanes a month.

The Kodiak is a 10-seat, single-engine turboprop airplane designed for short takeoffs and landings, including on unimproved surfaces. At the Oshkosh gathering, the company also displayed two Kodiaks with pontoons to demonstrate how the plane can be equipped as a float plane without structural modifications.

The company has sold nearly 150 aircraft since 2007.

Quest is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Setouchi Holdings Inc., which acquired the aircraft company in February.