Celier Aviation
Aircraft manufacturer specializing in kit-built and fully assembled autogyros.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Celier Aviation is an aircraft manufacturer associated primarily with autogyros, also known as gyroplanes. Raphael Celier founded the company in France in 1993. Its products have been offered both as kits for customer assembly and as completed aircraft, placing the business within the light-aircraft and recreational aviation sector rather than the mainstream commercial-aircraft industry. The company later developed an international operating footprint. In 2006, it moved its operations to Piotrków Trybunalski in Poland. In 2017, the company moved again, this time to Safi, Malta. These relocations distinguish the company’s history from that of a conventional single-country manufacturer and reflect its European orientation. Celier Aviation became best known for the Xenon 2 family, a two-seat autogyro with side-by-side seating. The design formed the center of the company’s product identity and helped establish its reputation among owners and builders of light gyroplanes. According to the available reference material, more than 100 Xenon 2 aircraft were flying by 2011, indicating meaningful adoption for a specialist manufacturer, although no reliable sales or revenue figures are available. The company also explored other configurations. The Kiss was developed as a tandem-seat autogyro, but it was not produced in large numbers. Celier Aviation additionally developed the XeWing, a fixed-wing light-aircraft concept that reused the Xenon 2 fuselage and engine while replacing the autogyro rotor system with a folding, strut-braced parasol wing. The XeWing was displayed at the AERO Friedrichshafen aviation exhibition in 2009, but it was never offered for sale and appears not to have progressed beyond a single prototype. By 2014, the company’s publicly described range had narrowed to the Xenon 4, an evolution of the Xenon 2. The available sources do not establish the full technical specification, production volume, current model range, ownership structure, or present commercial status of Celier Aviation. Its historical significance lies chiefly in the development and promotion of compact two-seat autogyros, especially the Xenon series, and in its provision of aircraft in both kit and completed forms.
History
Celier Aviation was founded by Raphael Celier in France in 1993 as a manufacturer of light aircraft, with a particular emphasis on autogyros. An autogyro uses a rotor that turns freely in autorotation to provide lift, while a separate engine and propeller provide forward thrust. This configuration gives the aircraft characteristics distinct from both fixed-wing airplanes and conventional powered helicopters. Celier Aviation’s business model included both kit aircraft and completed aircraft, serving builders, recreational pilots, and specialist aviation customers. The company’s early identity became closely associated with the Xenon 2, a two-seat autogyro arranged in a side-by-side configuration. The model was developed as a practical recreational aircraft and became the company’s principal product family. Its adoption gave Celier Aviation a visible position in the specialist gyroplane market. The available reference material states that more than 100 Xenon 2 aircraft were flying by 2011, although the sources do not provide a complete production register or independently verified cumulative sales figure. Celier Aviation changed its base during its history. The company moved from France to Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland, in 2006. This Polish phase is reflected in descriptions of the company as a Polish aircraft manufacturer, even though its origins were French. In 2017, the company moved its operations to Safi, Malta. The available materials do not explain the ownership, legal, manufacturing, or regulatory details associated with either relocation. The company expanded its design work beyond the Xenon 2. It developed the Kiss, a tandem-seat autogyro intended to provide a different seating arrangement from the side-by-side Xenon configuration. The Kiss did not achieve large-scale production. Celier Aviation also designed the XeWing, a fixed-wing light aircraft derived from the Xenon 2 platform. The concept retained the Xenon 2 fuselage and engine but substituted a folding, strut-braced parasol wing for the autogyro’s main rotor. The aircraft was presented at AERO Friedrichshafen in 2009, demonstrating the company’s interest in applying its existing platform to another form of light aviation. However, the XeWing was never offered for sale and appears to have remained at the prototype stage. By 2014, the company’s reported commercial range had been reduced to the Xenon 4, described as a development of the Xenon 2. The available material does not specify all of the changes between the two versions, but the continued use of the Xenon name indicates that Celier Aviation was refining its established two-seat autogyro concept rather than replacing it with an entirely new product family. There is limited publicly available information about Celier Aviation after the reported move to Malta. The current status of its manufacturing, product support, ownership, leadership, and website operations cannot be established from the supplied sources. Accordingly, the company is best documented as a specialist aircraft brand with a historical focus on Xenon-series autogyros, kit aircraft, completed aircraft, and a small number of experimental designs.
- 2017
Operations moved to Malta
[1]Celier Aviation moved its base from Poland to Safi, Malta.
- 2014
Product range centered on Xenon 4
[1]The reported product range had narrowed to the Xenon 4, an evolution of the Xenon 2.
- 2011
Xenon 2 fleet passed 100 aircraft
[1]More than 100 Xenon 2 autogyros were reported to be flying.
- 2009
XeWing displayed at AERO Friedrichshafen
[1]Celier Aviation presented the XeWing fixed-wing concept at the AERO Friedrichshafen aviation exhibition.
- 2006
Operations moved to Poland
[1]The company moved its base to Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland.
- 1993
Company founded in France
[1]Raphael Celier founded Celier Aviation in France as a specialist light-aircraft manufacturer.
Products and positioning
A specialist European light-aircraft manufacturer focused on recreational and experimental autogyros supplied as kits or completed aircraft.
Two-seat autogyro
Xenon 2
The Xenon 2 was Celier Aviation’s best-known aircraft family. It used a two-seat side-by-side configuration and was offered in kit form as well as, according to the company’s general product model, as a fully assembled aircraft. The design became the company’s principal commercial identity, with more than 100 examples reported to be flying by 2011. It also served as the platform for the XeWing fixed-wing concept.
Tandem-seat autogyro
Kiss
The Kiss was a tandem-seat autogyro developed by Celier Aviation as an alternative to the side-by-side arrangement used by the Xenon 2. Although it demonstrated the company’s willingness to explore different cabin layouts, the aircraft was not produced in large numbers. The available sources do not establish its exact production period, specifications, or total output.
Two-seat autogyro
Xenon 4
The Xenon 4 was described as a development of the Xenon 2 and was the company’s reported offering by 2014. It continued Celier Aviation’s emphasis on compact two-seat autogyros. Detailed information about its technical changes, production volume, kit availability, and current support is not established by the supplied references.
Fixed-wing light-aircraft prototype · 2009
XeWing
The XeWing was a fixed-wing concept based on the Xenon 2 fuselage and engine. Instead of the autogyro’s main rotor, it used a folding, strut-braced parasol wing. Celier Aviation displayed the design at AERO Friedrichshafen in 2009, but it was never offered for sale and appears not to have advanced beyond a single prototype.
Brand decisions
2017
Relocation of operations to MaltaStrategyBackground
Celier Aviation changed its base after its period in Poland.
Action taken
The company moved to Safi, Malta.
Aftermath
The supplied references do not document the operational or commercial consequences of the relocation.
2009
Presentation of the XeWing conceptProduct launchBackground
Celier Aviation explored whether the Xenon 2 platform could support a fixed-wing light aircraft rather than an autogyro.
Action taken
The company displayed the XeWing, which combined the Xenon 2 fuselage and engine with a folding parasol wing, at AERO Friedrichshafen.
Aftermath
The XeWing was not offered for sale and appears to have remained a single prototype.
2006
Relocation of operations to PolandStrategyBackground
After operating in France since its foundation, Celier Aviation changed its base to Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland.
Action taken
The company moved its operations to Poland.
Aftermath
The company continued developing and producing specialist autogyros, including the Xenon family, during its Polish phase.
Sources2 sources
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