The new European dealer for Quest Aircraft Co. has made its first sale of the Sandpoint-built Kodiak airplane, and Quest is seeking Europe-wide safety certification of the Kodiak, says Quest spokeswoman Julie Stone.

Dusseldorf, Germany-based Rheinland Air Service handled the sale last month at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, in Geneva.

At the customer’s request, Quest declines to disclose the buyer’s identity, Stone says.

The customer plans to use the plane for skydiving operations, she says.

“We have a parachute package option,” Stone says. “They’re modified with a different door.”

This year marks Quest’s first exhibit of the Kodiak at the Europe aviation convention.

Steve Zinda, Quest’s vice president of sales, says in a press release announcing the sale, “We had a high level of interest in the Kodiak at EBACE. Europe is definitely a growth market for Quest, and having a Kodiak at this key event helps our sales efforts in the region.”

Quest signed Rheinland Air Service last December as its exclusive dealer for the Kodiak aircraft in 35 countries throughout Europe.

Five Kodiak planes currently operating in Europe had been sold through U.S.-based dealers.

Quest also recently has entered a comprehensive safety certification program administered through the European Aviation Safety Agency.

“Once we’ve achieved that, the Kodiak will be certified in just about all of Europe,” Stone says.

Among its regulatory functions, the Cologne, Germany-based EASA approves certification of aircraft and aeronautical manufacturers throughout the European Union.

The Kodiak airplane currently is certified in 18 countries. It’s a single-engine turboprop utility airplane with room for up to 10 seats. It originally was designed for use in areas that require short takeoffs and landings at remote airstrips and on unimproved surfaces. It also can be outfitted with floats for water landings and takeoffs.

Key operations globally for the Kodiak include personal flights, charter trips, corporate transport, government work, and humanitarian missions.

Stone says a typically equipped Kodiak is priced at just over $2 million.

As of last week Quest has sold 144 Kodiak aircraft since 2007, she says.

Tokyo-based Setouchi Holdings Inc. acquired Quest in February, and the companies said jointly then that Quest’s headquarters, leadership, and manufacturing operations will remain in Sandpoint, where the company has 175 employees and produces about three planes a month.

Quest has a separate exclusive sales agreement with Beijing-based SkyView Aircraft Industry Co., which sells Kodiak planes throughout the Chinese market. SkyView, also known as Jiangsu, plans to phase in manufacturing in China of the Kodiak planes it sells by 2019.